


Covert Beau

by jingucchislippers



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Gratuitous Amount Of Hand Holding, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Sick Character, Stalking, Tokiya Is Painfully Oblivious, Writer Tokiya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29098203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jingucchislippers/pseuds/jingucchislippers
Summary: Tokiya is a reclusive author who has attracted a rather obsessive fan who likes to drop in at the bookstore he often frequents. Ren happens to be shopping there one day when his stalker is waiting for him and Tokiya relies on him to act as his fake boyfriend. As a man who spends his time outlining every fine detail in his novels, he would've never expected a single impulsive decision to open his eyes to the chaotic world of love.
Relationships: Ichinose Tokiya/Jinguuji Ren
Comments: 52
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Lily, one of my first real friends in this fandom 💜 I was going to do a rentoki fic since they got the most hits for kinktober and they just so turned out to be her otp, so I had to do the most for her of course.
> 
> Updates every other Friday, rating will go up. No special warnings, just your typical fake datin' love story. I did project some of myself onto Tokiya tho ngl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the most starish centric fic ive ever written. i miss ai.

_“I’m going to be straightforward with you, Ichinose, you can’t write romance. Your strengths lie in intriguing, character driven storytelling and intricate worldbuilding, but when comes to getting two characters together? Your lack of romantic experience seeps out and it comes off terribly stiff, awkward, and unnatural. If you’re serious about publishing in this genre, you’ll need to do your research, whether it’s through books, television, or in my opinion, hands on experience. I know you can do better than this tripe you’ve handed me and I expect a fresh draft next time we see each other, else I’ll have to strongly recommend you stay with what you know.”_

Tokiya closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh once he was alone in the elevator heading down to the lobby. This was one of those times he wished his former editor hadn’t left Japan, but at the same time she was too nice and often coddled him. He’d been working with his current editor, Hyuga, for a little over a year and half now and their partnership had started with the man thoroughly dissecting all of his past works. 

It was only a little traumatic for Tokiya as he’d been used to hearing endless praise from his former editor and friends, who in hindsight, were the worst people to ask for constructive criticism from. Tokiya’s first instinct was to argue back against everything Hyuga had said and even point to his relative success of how people enjoyed reading his books, but he went the polite route and quietly accepted his editor’s feedback. He was internally fuming on the train ride home and vented to Masato through a string of irritated texts, yet it was through that conversation that he realized _maybe_ Hyuga wasn’t... incorrect with his harsh assessment. 

Tokiya tossed out a story he’d been working on that following day and started off fresh, taking his editor’s advice to heart and stepping out of his comfort zone. He hadn’t felt quite this invigorated in months, if only to prove that he wasn’t just a one trick pony and that Hyuga wouldn’t be wasting time on him. Tokiya emailed the rough draft just a week later and while the man wasn’t exactly singing his praises, he did seem somewhat impressed that the author actually listened to him.

So when Tokiya told him he was interested in writing a short story revolving around romance, Hyuga’s reaction was a simple, ‘okay’ and Tokiya got to work. His usual works tended to be heavy on complex political games with a dash of magical supernatural warfare or intergalactical space battles depending on the setting. Romance was often on the backburner or vaguely hinted at, although that didn’t stop his fans from shipping numerous characters together in nearly every conceivable combination. 

Tokiya wasn’t surprised that his first foray into the genre was swiftly torn apart and dunked into the trash can, but damn if it didn’t sting. He’d had a girlfriend in high school who broke up with him after they’d graduated, but otherwise he didn’t have the time or interest in dating anyone. Tokiya preferred to lose himself in planning, outlining, and writing out his character lives more than well... having his own. 

And that worked out well enough for him on most occasions. His long time roommate, Otoya, would drag him out for social functions with their friends and that was more than enough social interaction for Tokiya. His hermit behavior may have been worse if it weren’t for his best friend looking out for him and one of the reasons why they’d been shacking together since their third year of high school.

Tokiya left the elevator and strolled through the lobby on his way to the front door with one thing on his mind, picking up research materials. Getting any _hands on_ experience was immediately thrown out because he had absolutely no interest in downloading tinder or trying to hook up with someone at a club. The mere thought alone was enough to send an unpleasant shiver down his spine and he’d be more than fine with sticking his face in a few dozen books or marathoning various television shows and movies. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket while standing just outside of the office building and sent out a tweet asking for any and all recommendations. Tokiya wasn’t overly active on social media, but he did love interacting with his fans and could hopefully trust them to steer him in the right direction. For now, a trip to his favorite bookstore slash cafe was in order because he skipped out on breakfast and needed to process Hyuga’s advice over a wrap.

~

Piyo Reads was Tokiya’s second home at this point, he’d been frequenting the local bookstore for years now and had been mistaken for an employee several times now, not that he minded too much when Natsuki and Nagi had their hands full. Tokiya knew the whole store like the back of his hand, although he didn’t stray too far away from his own interests when it came to buying books. He may have to actually _browse_ the romance sections as opposed to just pointing them out whenever someone asked and it made him a little nervous on some level. 

_“Ha~Ya~Toooo~”_

Tokiya briefly stopped in his tracks at that high pitched, dreadfully familiar tone of voice to his right as he entered the store. He’d heard about tales of stalkers and... _obsessive_ fans from a few of his more famous friends, but never thought he’d have to face one himself. Tokiya never wanted to turn anyone away who enjoyed his writings, but this woman in particular was very... enthusiastic about her love and adoration for the author.

They’d met at Tokiya’s very first book signing about three years ago, it was also the first time he’d revealed his face at the encouragement of his agent. She said something about him being a pretty boy would attract even more fans and drive sales higher. Her intuition wasn’t wrong, but Tokiya was all too shy for the limelight... which is where Hayato came in handy.

The highly charismatic, excitable, and sauve personality that all of his fans knew and loved. It wasn’t something he could keep up twenty-four seven, but fortunately he didn’t need to be in the public eye all the time with this profession. On the downside it seemed to attract one of the most dedicated people to cross Tokiya’s path.

Ichika went to every single one of his fan signings and other public appearances, slowly escalating to finding him outside of work. Tokiya wasn’t too sure what to do, but the woman seemed harmless enough and just excited to talk about his books. It’s only more recently that she started asking more personal questions and wanting to spend time with him beyond just discussing his stories.

Tokiya’s immediate options amounted to entertaining her for however long he planned to stay here, attempting to politely reject her advances, or just turning around and leaving the store entirely. He’d learned early on that Ichika was not one to take ‘no’ for an answer and would push herself onto him either way. Well, he’d only come here to resonate on his editor’s words and maybe having someone else to bounce ideas off of wouldn’t be too bad?

Just as Tokiya was set on resigning himself to surrendering his peaceful afternoon with her, a familiar head of orange hair caught his eye. Ren had set a couple manga on the counter and was chatting with Natsuki as the blond rang them up. While he didn’t frequent the shop as much as Tokiya, it wasn’t uncommon to see Ren around here if he was in the area.

_“Hayato, I got a table for us!”_

Tokiya’s feet were moving before his brain could fully catch up as he walked in the complete opposite direction of the cafe towards Ren. His last conversation with Ichika involved her asking him about his love life and suggesting some... _things_ that Tokiya did not want to engage with in the slightest. This is how Tokiya would explain his next set of actions without instantly dying from every known type of embarrassment. 

“Hey baby,” Tokiya slid a hand around Ren’s waist and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, “what’cha got there?”

“Eh?” Ren turned his head with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed expression on his face that transformed into confusion just as he saw who it was.

“Please just go along with this, I’m begging you,” Tokiya quickly whispered into his ear as he gave Ren’s waist a light squeeze, “I’ll pay you back.”

“... alright, _sweetcakes_ ,” Ren sent him a wink, “give me your hand.”

Tokiya dropped his hand from Ren’s waist and soon felt warm, slender fingers lacing with his own. Ren went off listing the manga he’d gotten as Tokiya spared a brief glance over his shoulder to see that Ichika’s fierce gaze was on the two of them. Ah, maybe this was a bad idea after all... Ren wasn’t just some random friend, he was-

“Oi, you paying attention?” Ren pinched at Tokiya’s cheek with his free hand, “I swear I’m stuck listening to you go on and on about your latest novel and you can’t even spare five minutes to listen to me.”

“Sorry,” Tokiya blurted out, seeing the slight smirk on the corner of Ren’s lips.

“It’s okay, Icchi~,” Ren squeezed at his hand, “I don’t mind explaining everything all over again to my dear, devoted boyfriend.” 

“You two are together?” Natsuki spoke up with a sparkling smile as he clapped his hands together, “I’m so happy for you! Was it Ren who-”

“Anyway, thanks Shinomi!” Ren quickly spoke up as he grabbed the bag from the counter and tugged Tokiya towards the entrance. Tokiya showed little resistance as he followed Ren outside and just around the corner of the sidewalk. He let go of the other man’s hand as soon as they were out of sight and felt the guilt swelling up inside of him.

“I’m sorry about that,” Tokiya said, “I... acted on impulse because she’s been rather persistent about talking to me and I just thought if she was tricked into thinking we were dating she’d give up. But if she posts anything about this then... it may affect your reputation...”

“Who cares?” Ren lightly shrugged with an easy smile on his lips, “according to the gossip rags I’ve already bedded half of the entertainment industry, what’s one cute author on the list?”

The tension in Tokiya’s body faded away as Ren’s relaxed attitude washed over him, of course Ren wouldn’t make a big deal of this. Tokiya wouldn’t say they were the closest of friends, but Ren was always so laid back and easy going, something Tokiya envied. It was hard to believe that his childhood friend had ascended to becoming a supermodel and actor on top of that, yet he was still the same Ren he’d always known.

“I noticed she was on your case as of late,” Ren said, “didn’t want to say anythin’ in case you two had something going on.”

“Ugh, no,” Tokiya replied, “she’s... just a fan who has barged into my life and I don’t really know what to do. I mean she’s not _that_ bad, but... I’m sure you’ve dealt with this?”

“Mmm...” Ren nodded, “I’m no stranger to these types, I usually hope they get bored or at least keep their distance, but yours is a bold one.”

“Yeah...” Tokiya frowned, “I could find a different bookstore to go to...”

“Or I can be your saviour,” Ren slipped his hand into Tokiya’s once more, “she’ll get the hint once she gets an eyeful of this lovey dovey couple.”

“I don’t want to trouble you with this, Ren,” Tokiya said, “it’s my problem and I shouldn’t have pulled you in the first place.”

“Don’t worry,” Ren waved a dismissive hand, “I don’t have any pressing schedules for a couple weeks and this serves as a wonderful excuse to bother you since you’re always cooped up at home.”

“Not always,” Tokiya murmured as Ren smirked back at him, “but I will pay you back, no matter what.”

“Ah, Icchi, this is payment enough,” Ren said as he peered around the corner, “shall we go back? You must’ve been here for somethin’.” 

“Work,” Tokiya simply answered, “nothing more to concern yourself with.”

“If you say so,” Ren smoothly replied before they headed back into the bookstore. Tokiya’s gaze went over to the cafe to see that Ichika was nowhere to be seen and that relieved him much more than it probably should’ve. Ren strolled alongside him as they went deeper into the store towards one of the smaller, out of the way sitting areas that Tokiya favored.

He took his laptop out of his bag and set it on the table as Ren went off to go get them food. The first thing he’d have to do is look over all the notes Hyuga had left on the document, then check twitter for recommendations. This would go much smoother without Ichika in his ear, anyway.

~

Tokiya looked over to the other side of the couch to see Otoya and his boyfriend, Reiji, on the verge of tears as they were nearing the end of this movie. It was the fifth... or sixth film Tokiya had watched today in his ongoing research into figuring out how to write romance. The couple joined him midway into this love filled marathon and they’d made this so much more bearable with their commentary and somewhat over the top reactions to the various, predictable plot twists.

Tokiya was reminded of why he never cared to venture too deep into this genre by the end of the second film, it was all so dreadfully _boring_. Take person A and B, insert some misunderstanding or problem that could be solved in five minutes, then stretch that out over two hours and finally they wind up together. Change up the setting, plot, and characters depending on who you want to pander to and tada, there’s your next best seller. 

Sure there were a few emotional scenes that tugged at his heartstrings, but overall he’s sure he would’ve fell asleep by now if it weren’t for the other two keeping him awake. It was getting close to midnight tough, so this would probably be the last one he’d force himself to sit through. There were still way too many movies on his list and then there were the dramas and books and... good grief what did Tokiya get himself into? 

His attention returned to his phone as he’d partially given up on paying attention to the television and scrolled through instagram. He’d managed to catch up on the past week at this point and refreshed the app to see if there was anything new, although who else was up now? His eyes instantly caught on the picture that Ren had uploaded, a simple selfie from bed with a caption wishing everyone sweet dreams.

Tokiya had only begun to pay actual attention to Ren’s social media as of late since they’d been spending time together the past couple weeks. Scaring off Ichika was less painless than Tokiya thought it’d be and thankfully she stopped visiting the bookshop after the third time they showed up with Ren draped over him. His temporary partner had to tend to a shoot in Kyoto this weekend and Tokiya didn’t need to go outside anyway, but he hoped that Ichika finally learned to respect his boardaries. 

Tokiya gave the post a like before tapping into his profile to skim his other photos, most of them being selfies, gaming related memes, or landscape shots. He’d forgotten that Ren had a thing for photography back in high school and was happy that Ren managed to hold onto his hobby even with his busy schedule. The bored author went on liking more pictures down Ren’s feed, stopping only on one selfie that Ren had taken while at a beach overseas.

He was laid out on a towel on top of the sand, this tanned, lean body stretched out on display with only a pair of swim trunks on. Someone else must’ve taken this picture as Ren had a hand holding up his oversized sunglasses and another giving the peace sign to the cameraman. Ren had always been on the skinnier side, but those toned, sunkissed abs and biceps really jumped out to Tokiya as his gaze lingered on the device.

“Creeping on Ren, eh?” Otoya’s voice nearly made him drop his phone, “I’d expect this out of Syo or Yamato, but _you_ looking at hot guys when you’re bored during a movie is new!”

“I was not,” Tokiya stubbornly answered as now Reiji’s attention was on them now too.

“The evidence is right there, Toki,” Otoya said, “and you’re even liking everything! You’re being so forward.”

“Oh? Is he finally making a move on Ren-Ren?” Reiji perked up, “I was pretty sure you were straight, but you’re very hard to figure out.”

“I’m not doing _anything_ ,” Tokiya huffed, “I was just bored and catching up on him... and liking is just a common courtesy.” 

“Uh huh,” the couple answered at the same time, then Otoya spoke up, “I mean, I too, often stare at shirtless pictures of my friends when I want to see what they’ve been up to.”

“I was not.”

“You definitely were, I counted and it was a full forty-five seconds,” Otoya grinned as Tokiya rolled his eyes in response, “it’s okay! Ren’s super hot, I totally understand.”

“Should you be saying that with your boyfriend right there?” 

“Calling Ren hot is like saying the Earth is round, everyone knows it and the people who deny it are just crazy,” Otoya lightly shrugged, “now are you going to keep staring or act on your innate desires?”

“Oh my, I feel like I’m learning so much about Toki now,” Reiji said, “I didn’t think Ren-Ren would be his type, but then who could resist dating a supermodel?”

“I don’t... who said anything about dating?” Tokiya said, “and as I already said, I’m not going to be doing or saying anything to Ren, despite whatever your perverted minds are thinking of.”

“Rei, did I say anything about lewd activities?” Otoya asked.

“No, not once!” Reiji replied, “dating isn’t all about sex, Toki, but if you _want_ to do it with Ren-”

“Oh my god,” Tokiya stood up from the couch, “I’m going to bed, I don’t have the energy to even start with you two.”

“Wait!” Otoya jumped up after him, “you know we’re just teasing... but I don’t think it’d be a bad idea. You and Ren. Natsuki may have told me that you guys have been hanging out at the store...”

“Of course,” Tokiya pinched at his nose, he did explain to Natsuki that same day that Ren was only doing this as a favor and there was nothing between them, “we’re only together as friends.”

“But do you want more?” Reiji said, “you’re both single, you both get along so well, you’d look so gosh darn adorable together!”

“Right? You guys would be so perfect,” Otoya was practically glowing and Tokiya was somewhat determined this was a side effect of watching too many chick flicks in a row.

“This is assuming Ren would want to date me in the first place,” Tokiya said, “compared to his lifestyle... I’m the most boring twenty-five year old in the world.”

“You aren’t boring!” Otoya quickly spoke up.

“The most exciting thing in my life is going to the friday sales at the grocery store,” Tokiya flatly responded, “or picking up an obscure book in the clearance bin.”

“Everyone has a different definition of fun, right?” Otoya said as Reiji nodded in agreement, “you’re a bookworm and spend almost all of your time writing while Ren is a gamer and spends all his time traveling and doing photoshoots and filming movies and-”

“Otoya,” Tokiya sighed.

“What Otoyan is saying,” Reiji stood from the couch to give his boyfriend a hug from behind, “is that even if you have totally different interests, that shouldn’t scare you away from at least trying. You already enjoy your time together despite this, so why not push it a little further?”

“Exactly!” Otoya said, “and there’s nothing stopping you from sharing things you like with Ren and vice versa. That’s what a good relationship is about.”

“Mmm...” Tokiya pursed his lips as Reiji nuzzled at Otoya’s cheek, “... I’ll sleep on it.”

“Promise me!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tokiya left to head into his bedroom, his head filling with thoughts about Ren that he’d subconsciously pushed away prior. He wasn’t even sure if he had a so-called type or if he was into guys to begin with, but one thing he couldn’t discount was that the thought of dating Ren didn’t give him the same feelings of revulsion he felt towards Ichika.

Tokiya checked his phone once more before sliding underneath the covers and saw a DM notification from Ren, ah... right, he saw all those likes...

_Ren >>> Tokiya _

Ren: !!!! you’re up late

And looking at me

;D

Tokiya: I was working.

And bored.

I’m going to bed now.

Ren: wow looking at my pics before going to bed, I feel so honored~

Tokiya set his phone on the nightstand and buried himself in the sheets. Why was everyone he knew like this?

~

Tokiya reached the end of the document and clicked his tongue before exiting out of it, he hated every single letter written within. He’d done the research and put together all the beloved tropes for a typical love story, but it still felt so empty. There was something missing even though he’d followed the formula, yet Hyuga would probably throw this out without a second thought.

Tokiya closed his laptop and glanced outside of his window to see that the sun was out and it looked pleasant, suitable for a run. He always strived to keep himself fit and healthy, although in recent years his obsession with maintaining a flawless figure had died down. Tokiya still wouldn’t be caught dead eating any fast food, but he did usually remember to eat more than once a day. 

He changed into his running sweats and an old university t-shirt, grabbed his phone and earbuds, then left their apartment to head off to the park that was a couple blocks away. Otoya tended to be his running partner if he decided to run early in the morning, but his roommate was at work and Tokiya needed the time alone to sort through this... writer’s block? It took him a few days just to whip up and finish this draft in-between his other work, but he just couldn’t feel any ounce of satisfaction with what he wrote.

Tokiya took his normal route through the park that was filled with a few other runners like him and some people just lounging in the surrounding grassy area. Maybe he’d email the draft to his editor anyway and ask for tips, then get started on a second draft. Tokiya was going to make this work somehow, he didn’t have a deadline to fulfill with this one so he could theoretically take as much time as needed... but not like he wanted to slave for months over a single novella. 

He stopped at a vending machine to grab a bottle of water and took a healthy gulp as he spotted someone just across the way by a set of benches on the path. Tokiya was a little surprised to see Ren here, never really taking into consideration if the man lived nearby. He wasn’t alone however, there was a shorter woman talking to him and from Ren’s strained expression, it didn’t look like a thrilling conversation.

Tokiya took another sip of water as he wondered if he should go over or maybe wait for her to leave, but an unsettling feeling resonated within him the longer he observed. Ren wasn’t himself, his posture was closed off and he looked... uncomfortable as the woman was blabbering on. Tokiya wasn’t one to barge in on other’s business, vastly preferring to keep to himself, but it wouldn’t feel right just to do nothing after Ren put up with his own stalker issues.

Worst case scenario, Tokiya just walks in on an awkward conversation and sees himself out. 

Tokiya finished off the rest of his water and tossed the bottle into a nearby bin, then broke out into a jog as he followed the path to Ren. The other man spotted him as he was coming up and Tokiya nearly tripped as he saw the look of relief across Ren’s face. 

“Great timing, hun, I was just coming by to see you,” Ren said as he took Tokiya in an easy hug, even though he was all sweaty, “the surprise is ruined though...”

“If anything you’ve made my day even brighter, darling,” Tokiya leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Ren’s cheek as Ren’s hands settled on his waist, “I’m willing to cut my run short just for you~”

“Aw, I wouldn’t ask you to do that, but...” Ren tugged Tokiya closer to him, bringing their faces mere inches away from each other, “... I’ve been dying to see my favorite author again.”

Heat rushed to Tokiya’s cheeks as Ren’s deep and alluring voice paired with that casual gaze trained on him had Tokiya at a loss for words. Ren had said things like this before, but this was the first time Tokiya had a reaction to it. He’d been so busy with work that he hadn’t seen Ren since that conversation he had with Otoya and Reiji.

“Excuse me.”

The both of them turned their heads towards the woman who had her arms crossed and was glaring at Ren. The former smile he had on his lips was replaced with a grim expression as he said something back to her in Italian, a language that Tokiya had zero fluency in. They went back and forth for a few intense seconds before Tokiya found himself being pulled away.

Ren only let go of his hand when they were far enough away and was quiet for a moment as he seemed to be gathering his thoughts, “... sorry about that. I thought I wouldn’t run into her here, but just my luck she managed to get booked on the same shoot as me this week.”

“Oh... is this an Ichika situation?” Tokiya asked.

“Sort of, we dated for a few months and I ended it,” Ren let out a small sigh as he rubbed at the back of his neck, “but she keeps wanting to get back together and I would rather fling myself into a pit of fire.”

“Don’t do that, you’re too pretty to die,” Tokiya calmly responded, getting a sharp laugh out of Ren.

“Damn, I’ll have to cancel my self immolation appointment then,” Ren snickered, “but really, thanks for that. I was pretty close to just losing it on her.”

“Anytime, especially after what you’ve done for me,” Tokiya said, “although I didn’t expect to run into you here, do you live nearby...?”

“I stay with Baron and Aimi when I’m in Tokyo,” Ren replied, “they live a few blocks away and I definitely wasn’t going to give her their address.”

Tokiya nodded, “I feel like I should’ve known that, but I haven’t really paid attention to these things.”

“You’re too wrapped up in your own fantasy worlds, Icchi,” Ren smirked, “but I can’t complain, you do give me something to look forward to on those long flights and train rides.”

“You read my books?” Tokiya said, “why didn’t you ever mention that?”

“You were already dealing with one obsessive fan, did you really want to pick up another?” Ren replied, “yet given the liking spree you went on my pictures, I guess you wouldn’t be opposed to that.”

“Oh hush,” Tokiya turned his head away from Ren as he felt that familiar warmth hit his cheeks again, “you had some very interesting photographs.”

“Oh I know, that’s why I posted them,” Ren said, “and I’m _so_ thrilled you took notice of them before you slept.”

“I’m going back on my run now.”

“Ah, no, not yet,” Ren quickly said, “there was actually something I wanted to ask you and there’s no pressure to say yes, but I think it would benefit us both in the long run.”

“What is it...?” Tokiya raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Ren.

“Well we both have people who won’t leave us alone about dating them so I was thinking we could pretend to be dating each other,” Ren said, “I know we were technically already doing that for your case, but mine won’t get off my back unless I’m... as Masa would put it, obnoxious about it.”

“Oh...” Tokiya nodded, “what would this mean, posting pictures together on social media?”

“That would probably be enough,” Ren said, “she’s only here until next week, but I need her to think I’m serious about us, so... we could do it ‘til the end of the summer maybe?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Tokiya said.

“And if you want to back out early that’s fine too,” Ren reached into his back pocket to pull out his phone, “I wouldn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine, we snap a few photos together from time to time and she gives up all hope,” Tokiya responded as Ren stood beside him, “...you’re going to take one now? I look terrible.”

“You could never look bad,” Ren swung an arm around Tokiya’s shoulder and tugged him in closer, “and it’s bonus points for authenticity.”

“I have a feeling you’re an expert at this.”

“Who is the model here?” Ren winked back at him and before Tokiya could say anything more, those warm lips were on his cheek and the camera flash was going off. 

_[IMG ATTACHED]_

_Ran into the boyf on the way over to his place 💕💕💕 -_ **_@Jingucci_ **

**_Posted to Instagram 3 hours ago_ **

_350k likes - 4.7k comments_

  
  


_whaTTTTTTTTT WHY DIDNT U TELL MEEEE 😭😭😭😭😭😭 -_ **_@otowanwan_ **

_It only happened today... -_ **_@Hayato_official_ **

_!!!! tell me everything when u get home 😤😤_ **_-@otowanwan_ **

_YOU’RE GAY!?!?!/ -_ **_@ZENKAIGO_ **

_*Bisexual -_ **_@Jingucci_ **

_YOU LIKE DICKS?!!?1?_ **_-@ZENKAIGO_ **

_Yes, didja want a ride chibi-chan? 😘 -_ **_@Jingucci_ **

_NO. -_ **_@ZENKAIGO_ **

_Took you long enough -_ **_@Nyakaze_ **

_I’m so curious as to who confessed first! 🤔 -_ **_@Nyajima_ **

_Definitely wasn’t Ren 🙄 -_ **_@Nyakaze_ **

_Congratulations!! 💛💛💛 -_ **_@PiyoKing_ **

_Saw this coming from a million miles away smh -_ **_@NAGINAGINAGI_ **

_Yes! But it’s so nice to see it be official... 👀! -_ **_@PiyoKing_ **

_You have (2) notifications from Masato!_

_Masato >>> Tokiya _

Masato: Breakfast.

Tomorrow.

~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmm what could masa want...
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything you liked or are excited about! pls your comments fuel my being 💕 personally I had a lot of fun trying to figure out Starish's dynamics as someone who mains QN + 🥕


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> masatoki bantz was sOOOOOOOO enjoyable to write. and i bought ramen after writing this bc toki made me hungry.
> 
> thank u all for the comments and love on the first chapter 💕💕

Tokiya saw Masato sitting at one of the tables located in the patio area outside of the restaurant and was equally happy and nervous to see his best friend. They tried to meet up at least once or twice a month between their work schedules, but Tokiya knew well by now when Masato wanted to  _ talk _ . The last time this happened was when Tokiya was under his former editor and complained about his stories beginning to feel the same. 

Masato told him he should look into hiring a new editor, she was overly kind to him and in turn that stifled his growth as an author. Tokiya was too stubborn to listen because she’d been the first one to give him a real chance and he’d feel awful if he just ditched her to find someone else. She notified him of her pending move a couple months afterwards and recommended Hyuga to him, which definitely took a huge chip off of his shoulder then.

Tokiya assumed this had to be about his new ‘relationship’ with Ren and maybe Masato was miffed that he found out through instagram instead of Tokiya directly telling him. While he was obviously close to Otoya, his friendship with Masato was different in that they talked to each other about everything and knew each other’s deepest secrets as a result. This only made Tokiya feel guiltier about neglecting to tell Masato about Ren helping him with Ichika and now this fake relationship plot, hah... he could already see the look of disbelief on his friend’s face once he explained it all.

“Hey Masa,” Tokiya announced himself as he joined Masato at the table, picking the spot just across from him with the most shade from the morning sun, “nice to see you this lovely morning.”

“Same to you,” Masato pushed one of the drinks towards Tokiya, “I already ordered for you, now tell me just how in the world Ren wrangled you into dating him.”

“You say that like he forced me at gunpoint,” Tokiya faintly frowned as he picked up the warm cup, “and we’ve been talking quite frequently since he’s been dropping in the bookstore more often... and I suppose one thing led to another...”

“He’ll get bored within a month and find someone else to be infatuated with,” Masato said before taking a sip of his drink, “I don’t care when he plays around with random people, but when it comes to someone like you... I’d rather not see you get your heartbroken.”

“Ah well... I mean, it’s not like I’m set to marry him next week, we’re just taking it by the day,” Tokiya replied as his heart sank at Masato’s cold words, “and who knows, maybe it’ll be different for him this time.”

“That’s what he  _ always  _ says,” Masato sighed, “he’ll hyperfixate on  _ one  _ person, ask them out, spoil them to the high heavens, then loses interest and the cycle repeats itself. The longest relationship he had lasted a little under a year and I had to be the one to tell him to break it off because she was using him.”

“I didn’t know all of that...” Tokiya said before taking a sip of his own drink, “I... guess I know where to set my expectations?”

“I don’t mean to be so negative and step all over your happiness, but I thought you should know just how most of Ren’s flings tend to go,” Masato replied, “and you’re the first guy he’s been public with, which made me wonder if he pushed you into this.”

“He didn’t, it’s all mutual, promise,” Tokiya said, “we’re both more interested in just seeing what happens over anything too serious... and if it doesn’t work out, I probably won’t be crying alone on the kitchen floor.”

“You’re right, I’ll be right there with you after chewing Ren out,” Masato smirked just as the server came by with their food. Well... this didn’t exactly go as Tokiya planned, but something within him stirred as he thought over Masato’s words. There was so much doubt and finality to them, as if there was no room for any variance of Ren’s fleeting interest in his partners. 

It resurfaced old, buried feelings that used to swarm Tokiya’s mind when he was much younger and began to take his writing seriously. His father and multiple teachers told him to focus on academics or put his attractive looks to use, there was no future in becoming an author. Tokiya was grateful to have his friends then as they supported him every step of the way and when he finally got his chance to shine, all those doubts crumbled to the wayside. 

Maybe he shouldn’t be feeling  _ this  _ strongly about a relationship that was only real to the public eye, but he couldn’t just accept this. Yet, what could he possibly do in this situation? There was an expiration date set and that would inadvertently prove Masato’s point...

“Since we’re talking about love lives, how’s yours going?” Tokiya spoke up after a moment of comfortable silence between them as they ate, “are you still playing cat and mouse with Kurosaki?”

Masato groaned, “unfortunately. I don’t know what power Ootori holds over him, but I’d like a piece of it. I should really just move on already.”

“Why don’t you?” 

“Because when he texts me at one in the morning asking for me to come over, I simply lack the ability to say no,” Masato said, “and... it’s easy to ignore everything when we’re together, I can just pretend he’s still not hooked on his annoying ex boyfriend and only wants me.”

“Mmm... have you told him how you feel, at least?”

“I’m sure he knows by now,” Masato murmured as he poked the chopstick around the small mound of rice on his plate, “but he shuts down whenever anything like that comes up and ugh... the dick is too good, Tokiya.”

Tokiya chuckled, “I’ll loan you space on the floor when you finally get fed up with him.”

“I’ll bring the wine and you can handle the ice cream,” Masato replied, “can we move onto something else? How’s your adventure into romance going?”

“Awful,” Tokiya sighed as the server returned to offer them refill on their drinks, “I sent Hyuga my first draft and he didn’t immediately delete it, but told me what I’ve been missing.”

“Hm?” 

“Emotion,” Tokiya said, “I put all the right pieces together, but there’s no emotion or feeling to properly bind them. I’ve been thinking so hard about how to get from point A to B that I’ve overlooked that...”

“Sounds about right,” Masato said, “you’ve always been a fan of suppressing everything until you crack and the only relationship to your name seemed to be out of obligation.”

“I hadn’t thought of how things ended with her until recently,” Tokiya admitted, “I thought I did everything right, but... my heart wasn’t in it. I was a pretty lame boyfriend.”

“Mhm...” Masato said, “I’ll have to say one good thing that can come out of dating Ren, he’s the master of romance, love, and all those other cheesy things related to it.”

“You’re right,” Tokiya thought back on how easily Ren slipped into boyfriend mode when they were around Ichika or his ex. He had a great mentor right under his nose and didn’t even consider it because he was so insistent on figuring this out on his own. 

Their conversation soon veered off to other, lighter topics as they enjoyed each other’s company. Masato would be traveling overseas next month for a series of concertos as he was one of the few in their friend group to fully pursue being a pianist as a career. Tokiya had a mild interest in music when he was younger, but it was snuffed out when he learned of how grueling those idol schedules could get. 

They said their goodbyes as Masato had a student to tutor soon and Tokiya didn’t really have anything else immediately lined up, so he stayed behind to send Ren a text.

  
  


_ Tokiya >>> Ren _

Tokiya: Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?

I want to consult your help for this project I’m stuck on.

Ren: here I thought you were inviting me for a lovely candlelit meal where we’d bond over our favorite high school memories 💔

But yes~ I have no plans.

My place or yours?

Tokiya: Whatever is more convenient for you. 

Ren: Weeeell I’m sure myuai won’t mind having the house to themselves for a bit

Text me your address and I’ll be there at 5?

Tokiya: mmk

Is there anything you’d want to eat?

Ren: I’ll eat w/e you cook 🥰

Tokiya: Just tell me what you want.

Ren: hmmmmmmmm 🤔 I’m in the mood for ramen

Tokiya: k

Ren: !!! aaa I can’t remember the last time I had homemade ramen 😭😭😭 Icchi’s will be amazing 💜

Tokiya: Do your roommates not cook?

Ren: baron’s diet is literally sugar. aimi eats like a mouse. i’m guilty of getting too much takeout.

Tokiya: What a nightmare...

Ren: it’s okay!! I can eat w/e I want and still have an ✨ amazing body ✨

Tokiya: Lucky you.

Ren: not as lucky as your handsome beautiful magnificent face 💕💕💕

Tokiya: I’m already making dinner for you, you don’t need to suck up to me.

Ren: there’s a joke I could make but I’m NOT going to.

Tokiya: ...

Ren: 😇

~

Tokiya had just finished plating the food on the counter when he heard a knock on the front door. Once again his skillful timing came in handy as Ren showed up right on time and Tokiya could get straight to the point. He untied his apron before heading to the door and opened it to see his expected guest standing on the other side.

Tokiya would like to think he was better than this, but he couldn’t help it if his gaze was immediately drawn to Ren’s... cleavage? A few buttons were loosened on the dark button down he was wearing and had his collarbone along with part of his chest on display. Tokiya’s eyes quickly flickered up to Ren’s face to see him lifting his sunglasses with that damn knowing smirk on his lips. 

His ginger hair was also tied back in a neat ponytail with a couple strands hanging loosely on his forehead, if only to accentuate his handsome face. Was he wearing makeup as well- wait. Tokiya straightened up as he murmured a greeting to Ren and stepped aside for him to come inside of the quiet apartment. 

Ren made an offhand comment about Otoya not being here that Tokiya’s currently malfunctioning mental facilities were able to tell him that they were at Reiji’s place for the evening. Of course Otoya teased Tokiya before leaving just a couple hours prior and he’d like to think those dumb, totally immature jokes didn’t get to him. Although on the other hand, it did mean that even his closest friends believed they were really dating and Tokiya hoped they could keep this act up.

Yes, an act was all that this was and Tokiya  _ needed  _ to remember that as he had time to recover in the kitchen while retrieving the steaming bowls of shoyu ramen. Ren’s bowl was stacked with extra meat while Tokiya substituted it for more vegetables in his own bowl. He set them down on the small dining table he’d normally shared with his roommate and realized this was the first time in months he’d cooked for someone outside of the couple. 

If he didn’t count helping out during their various holiday gatherings, it’d been years. He felt a burst of satisfaction go off inside of him as Ren’s hungry eyes were glued onto the delicious, savory meal placed in front of him. Otoya and Reiji always went on and on about how great Tokiya’s cooking was, but seeing Ren so excited to dive in hit differently. He left for a moment to get their drinks and settled down in the chair just opposite of Ren’s, then he watched as Ren took the first bite. 

“Mmmm~ this is so amazing Icchi!” Ren said, “I’m going to keep you as my personal chef and Ikki will just have to deal with that.”

Tokiya just chuckled as he reached for his chipsticks and dipped them into his bowl, but Ren quickly raised a hand as his mouth was full. Tokiya tilted his head in mild confusion as Ren went to dig his phone out of his pocket, followed by snapping a photo of both of their bowls. Tokiya gave a shy smile as Ren aimed the camera at him and the other man let out a happy hum as he was presumably uploading them onto social media. 

Right, this was a prime chance for them to show off being a happy real couple. 

“You can eat now,” Ren said with a small laugh, “I’d starved myself all day for this and forgot to take a picture once I smelled how good it is.”

“It’s alright... it’s actually somewhat related to what I want to ask you,” Tokiya then went onto to explain the issues he’d been having with this short story, “... and despite my research, I’m still missing a vital component. I’ve only been in one relationship and that was in high school. So I thought since we’re already doing this it’d be a good opportunity for me to attempt to tap into the emotional aspect with you as my... mentor of sorts. If it’s not too much to ask.”

“Huh...” Ren nodded as he leaned back in his chair a bit while taking a quiet moment to think about it. Tokiya did factor in if Ren did wind up rejecting him and knew he’d have to seek out someone else... probably on a dating app. The only other friend he’d even consider asking for a favor like this was Masato and he had his own romance problems to deal with.

“Yeah, I’m down,” Ren said, “you couldn’t find a better sensei of love in all of Japan~”

“I’m not calling you sensei,” Tokiya replied as Ren laughed, “but I am willing to do whatever it is you suggest, within reason.”

“Well fuck, there goes my first plan,” Ren dramatically sighed as Tokiya just rolled his eyes, “nah, I’d never push you into anything, Tokiya. In fact we should set your boundaries first off.”

Tokiya was a bit surprised to hear Ren use his first name in such a serious tone. Right, he may have been an easy going person in his daily life, but when Ren had an objective his personality could flip like a switch. It was something that made him rather reliable whenever they did school work together as Otoya or Syo sure weren’t shining examples of proper study buddies.

“I’m fine with anything I suppose, as long as it’s not too sexual,” Tokiya said, “I like how we do things now... but I guess we could add more... kissing?”

“Only as a last resort,” Ren replied, “we don’t need to eat each other’s faces unless you’re having trouble writing an extensive french kissing scene.”

“Nope,” Tokiya quickly said, “I have that part covered.”

“Alright~” an easy smile returned to Ren’s lips, “then I think to start this off, going on some dates will help you out quite a bit.”

“I don’t know the last time I’ve been on one,” Tokiya frowned, “I have no idea how any dating works these days...”

“Don’t stress over it, neither of us are trying to impress or bed each other so we’ve skipped that step,” Ren said, “we’ll go on three dates, the first one being something you like, the second something I like, and the third something neither of us have done before.”

“That... sounds like a great plan,” Tokiya said as a few ideas were already popping up in his head.

“And we have to keep the first two a secret from each other,” Ren said, “adds on to the element of surprise~”

“Right,” Tokiya nodded, “should we plan the third one now, then?”

“Nah, we can worry about that later,” Ren replied, “for now just focus on where you want to take me. I expect something grand and extravagant, Icchi.”

“According to my parents, as an author I should be living in a hovel and the best you’ll get is a fine meal from the dumpster behind McDonalds,” Tokiya flatly responded, invoking a hearty laugh from the other man. Ah... Tokiya could never tire of that. 

“I bet that’s still better than the trashy diner we crashed at while in America,” Ren said, “did I ever tell ya’ that story? I swear I’ve never seen Masa flee a building faster.”

“I’ve heard Masa’s side, but I’ll say I’m interested in hearing how things went on your end.”

“Alright well, first we had very little gas, no cell phone service, and had no fucking idea where we were. Like this was descending into the road trip from hell...”

And that was how the rest of their evening went since Ren was certainly in no rush to leave and Tokiya loved hearing all of his wild travel stories. They’d moved from the table to the couch and flipped on a movie in the background that neither were really paying attention to. Perhaps he was too used to having only Otoya and Reiji as constant company, but he enjoyed the relaxed and comfy vibe Ren brought when they were just bantering. 

Again, memories from high school resurfaced as they used to talk like this whenever Ren wasn’t chasing skirts. They only drifted apart due to Tokiya going to university and Ren going full throttle with his current career. Tokiya hadn’t realized just how much he missed those moments until Ren was on his way out of the front door, leaving Tokiya alone on the couch.

~

Their first date occurred the following weekend with Tokiya getting the chance to drive Ren’s expensive sports car that probably cost more than Tokiya’s combined net worth. Ren didn’t seem worried at all about Tokiya driving it even though it’d been some time since Tokiya was behind the wheel. Of course Ren acted as his paparazzi and took however many photos of him, exclaiming just how cool, serious, and mysterious he looked in the driver's seat.

Tokiya attempted to ignore Ren’s fanboying as he drove them to their destination, a place Tokiya hadn’t been since he was in junior high. The date was supposed to be about something he liked, but that didn’t stop him from taking Ren into consideration when he was thinking up date ideas. This would also serve as an excellent location for Operation Dump Stalkers, as dubbed by Ren when he texted Tokiya at two am with the name. 

Ren was somewhat surprised when he saw that they were heading towards the Ueno Zoo, but that soon turned into excitement as he stated he hadn’t been here since they were kids. Tokiya was rather pleased with himself as he knew that Ren was a huge animal lover and would want to get dozens of pictures, hence why Tokiya also texted Ren to bring his DSLR. Naturally his date made a perverted joke that  _ definitely  _ didn’t have Tokiya thinking about Ren taking salacious photos of him... nope.

Their day involved Ren taking Tokiya this way and that, stopping by every exhibit on the path and Ren resembling an excited child as they watched the animals. It was so unbearably cute and Tokiya snuck a few photos himself when Ren was awestruck by the various big cats. Tokiya had his own moment when they got to the wolves and he barely noticed Ren letting go of his hand to aim the camera at him.

Although this was Tokiya’s date idea, Ren wouldn’t budge on paying for their food and subsequently the trip to the gift store before they left. Tokiya never allowed himself to get spoiled like this... or rather no one really offered to do it. He had mixed feelings of guilt and... something else as Ren easily pulled out one of his cards and didn’t fret over the prices of everything they got. 

Ren handled the drive back to Tokiya’s apartment as he jotted down notes for his ongoing research. Ren was a great example of an ideal, doting boyfriend, Masato certainly wasn’t wrong about that. No wonder he left a trail of broken hearts in his wake if he treated all of his love interests like this.

Their second date took a bit longer than Tokiya would’ve liked just due to Ren’s schedule, but once he received a text asking if he’d be free that evening, his excitement was returned in full force. Ren picked him up a little after eight and told him he could just dress casually for this, so they probably weren’t going anywhere too fancy. Tokiya was tempted to prod Ren with questions as to where they were going, but instead he was content just enjoying the ride to their destination. 

It was a comfortable silence only filled with the chill electronic music coming from the radio and Ren’s comments on the various places they drove past while navigating through the night city. Tokiya learned that Ren was quite the night owl and indulged in Tokyo’s nightlife whenever he wasn’t swamped with work or busy with his video games. Tokiya was drug out to plenty of clubs and parties back in university thanks to his friends, but obviously he vastly preferred staying in to read a new book or watching one of the few dramas he’d gotten hooked on.

Their lives and interests were so different, yet Ren never expressed feeling bored around Tokiya... or he was just being polite. That was likely it.

Ren eventually pulled into a parking garage and took Tokiya’s hand to lead him to the one place that Tokiya really should’ve predicted. It was a massive arcade filled to the brim all kinds of arcade and crane games. When was the last time Tokiya even stepped foot into one of these places, he honestly couldn’t remember. 

He  _ was  _ however quickly reminded of how horrible he was at anything resembling a video game as Ren let him choose what to play after they exchanged yen for coins. Tokiya expected to endure a world of teasing from the other man, but instead Ren was rather hands on about teaching Tokiya the controls. And by that, Tokiya had to ignore the overwhelming feeling of Ren’s hands on his own while the slightly taller man was standing  _ right  _ behind him. He swore he could hear the teasing smirk on Ren’s lips as he explained the mechanics of this fighting game to him and directed Tokiya’s fingers on the joystick with gentle nudges. 

Ren’s praise sent a pleasurable shiver down Tokiya’s back as  _ VICTORY!  _ flashed across the screen after three losses in a row. Tokiya couldn’t decide if he wanted to stay here or move onto something else, but one thing he did know was that he had to resist the urge to pull Ren back towards him when he backed off. Fortunately their hands were laced back together as Tokiya wandered off towards one of the two player shooter games, knowing full well he’d probably lose to an expert like Ren.

Much to Tokiya’s luck, Ren informed him that there was a co-op mode and all they had to do was kill as many monsters as possible to wrack up the points. This was something that Tokiya could definitely handle as he picked up the red plastic gun and waited for the level to load up. They played a few rounds in a row as Tokiya  _ really  _ wanted to beat the high score and with their combined teamwork -and Ren’s wealth of expertise- they snapped up the top spot for themselves.

Ren pulled out his phone to take a photo of the leaderboard, forever enshrining _T_ _R_ _☆_ and their proof of victory. They then took a couple photos doing totally cool poses with the guns and went off to the driving game. Both of their competitive drives were unleashed here as they raced each other through multiple maps, but Ren seemed to have the edge as he knew all of them like the back of his hand. What a cheater.

The one game Tokiya  _ did  _ manage to beat Ren handily at was air hockey and he knew that Ren wasn’t letting him win either. It was cute seeing just how frustrated Ren got at Tokiya’s repeat wins and stormed off only to challenge Tokiya at the nearby DDR machine. Ah man, Tokiya hadn’t played with this in ages, but he’d poured way too many hours into this as a teenager with Otoya. 

Tokiya wasn’t as rusty as he assumed he’d be, but Ren wasn’t easy to compete against. He hadn’t noticed that they’d attracted a small crowd of onlookers until they finished with their third song and he was raring to go again. That burst of energy from their attention fueled him through the next song, but once they were done he was on the verge of collapse, his body hadn’t moved  _ that  _ much in a while.

Ren probably could’ve done five more as he was in much better shape than Tokiya, but he only took Tokiya’s hand and let him off the machine so he could catch his breath. Something soon caught Ren’s eye as he tugged Tokiya along towards one of the photobooths and pushed Tokiya in first. It was a cozy fit inside as they were practically smushed together and Ren had to wrap an arm around Tokiya’s shoulder. He then picked a random set of frames and they had to pose for six in a row, the last of which caused Tokiya to mildly freeze. 

But Ren acted quickly as he pressed a kiss to Tokiya’s cheek.They then split the film strip between them, Ren insisting that Tokiya keep the kiss picture. Would it be weird if he tucked it inside of his wallet...? Probably since this was only supposed to be an act... all for research... of course.

Tokiya only noticed the time when they finally left after collecting their huge stuffed animal prizes from the counter and he suddenly felt drowsiness hit him. He’d have to take notes later as he drifted off on the ride back to his place, but again Ren was amazing... he was ridiculously good at this. Would Tokiya ever be lucky enough to find someone like that for himself in the future...?

Their third date sort of broke the, ‘something they hadn’t done before’ rule as Otoya wanted to invite them out for mini golf with his boyfriend. Masato was due to return back to Japan next week too, so they’d turned this into a triple group date. Tokiya took note while getting ready that morning that this would likely be their last date because summer was coming to an end and they hadn’t run into any trouble with their stalkers.

It was almost too easy, but Tokiya didn’t dwell on the thought for long as Ren arrived at their apartment a few minutes later. They met Masato and Ranmaru at the mini golf course and informed them that on their drive there, they decided to put down real money for winning and whoever lost would be paying for dinner.

Ranmaru also had a trick up his sleeve in the form of smuggling vodka in a canteen and whenever someone went over par, they’d have to take a sip. Tokiya felt as if this was something  _ mature  _ adults probably shouldn’t be doing, but half of them were into the challenge and not like he was completely opposed to spicing this up. Ren was confident their team would come out victorious right up until Reiji suggested they mix up their partners. 

A few rounds of rock, paper, scissors later and Tokiya got Ranmaru, Ren with Otoya, and Reiji paired with Masato. Tokiya could count on two hands just how many conversations he’d had with Ranmaru after the older man graduated high school a year before them. He was a little nervous, but Ranmaru seemed fired up after Reiji loudly declared him a rival and well, now Tokiya  _ had  _ to try his best.

They’d started off serious enough as deep down they were all terribly competitive, but once the canteen started getting passed around the dirty tricks began to come out. Tokiya noted that Ranmaru just could  _ not  _ take his eyes off of Masato and his best friend used that fact to his full advantage. Otoya wasn’t deterred by whatever distracting tactics Reiji used as they were frequent visitors of this place, so obviously that meant Tokiya had to target his teammate.

A few shy glances, not-so-accidental touches, and flirty comments later and Ren was wrapped around his finger. He didn’t think that deploying the same moves Ren used on him would be so successful, but looking at their current score it’d worked out quite well. A slightly tipsy Ranmaru managed to get his senses together long enough to get them the gold while Otoya whined about his teammate becoming deadweight midway, thus killing their lead and rendering them in last place.

It was still too early to go out for dinner, so Masato suggested they could play laser tag and Ren immediately claimed Tokiya for his team. Tokiya assumed that Masato would want to be with Ranmaru, but he joined their team as well. At least their teams would be even with three on three being various levels of inebriated. 

With barely anyone else here, they were able to hog the laser tag area for a few rounds and traded wins back and forth. Tokiya loved how well they worked together to hunt down the other three, but Masato disappeared with Ranmaru by the last round and he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to go find the couple. Ren didn’t mind as they wound up ambushing Reiji and Otoya to take the final win, the only win that mattered. 

Reiji volunteered himself to go find the missing couple, but they sprung up moments later at the entrance looking more disheveled and annoyed than previously. Tokiya did not ask questions and instead wondered out loud where they’d like to get dinner. Ranmaru didn’t care as long as there was good meat and they all agreed on bar-b-que, then picked out an expensive place to drain Ren and Otoya’s wallets, but probably mainly Ren’s.

~

Tokiya slid into the booth with Ren right beside him and Reiji at the end, while Masato, Ranmaru, and Otoya sat across from them. Tokiya was the only one who went with a salad over the bounty of juicy meat presented before them and he was perfectly fine with this choice. It was the fact that Ren’s hand had found a home on his thigh that kept him from concentrating on eating or really paying attention to their conversation.

Tokiya usually being the quiet one was a wonderful advantage as words went in one ear and out the other as Ren’s gentle hand idly stroked at the top of his thigh. Was this payback for earlier? Because if so Ren’s mere touch was enough to make his brain backfire, even more so as he guzzled down his glass of wine. 

Ren was so  _ relaxed  _ about it too, just going on with whatever they were talking about as his hand slowly inched higher. God, it’s been too long since anyone touched him in such an... intimate area? This had to be the alcohol’s fault that he was feeling so sensitive, that when those strong fingers drifted back towards his knee he felt  _ disappointed. _

Tokiya was nursing his refilled glass as Ranmaru left the table to go take a call and Ren spoke up once he rounded the corner, “I’ll bet a thousand yen that was Eiichi.”

“Of fucking  _ course  _ it is,” Masato snapped, “Ran would jump off the highest bridge if that needy asshole asked him too.”

“Then what are ya’ still doing here?” Ren smoothly asked as he squeezed at Tokiya’s thigh, “you should stop brooding like a little shit and go after what you want.”

“Agreed!” Otoya said, “that’s what I did with Rei and now he’s all mine!”

“Otoya, can you please use your inside voice,” Tokiya spoke up as a couple gazes went their way.

“Sorry,” Otoya quickly said as Reiji let out a giggle.

“Easy for  _ you  _ to say, you don’t care who your dick winds up in,” Masato huffed, ah he was always so harsh when he was drunk, “even if they’re in a relationship.”

“Not my fault if a gal finds me more interesting than her husband,” Ren winked as his hand slid up even further, giving Tokiya’s thigh another lovely squeeze, “and as far as I know, ex means they broke up and he’s available to the world.”

“Ren-Ren isn’t wrong,” Reiji said, “you’re so polite all the time that you’re letting Ran-Ran step all over you.”

“Exactly, now are you going to keep whining or go after what belongs to you?” Tokiya nearly choked on air as those fingers were dangerously close to his crotch, “you’re always the one dishing out this advice, but ignore it when it comes to yourself, Masato.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Masato groaned as he stood up and Otoya was quick to scoot out of the way, allowing Masato to pass by. The other men watched as Masato made his way out the front door of the restaurant, followed by Reiji joining his boyfriend’s side. Tokiya let out an unseemly burp that drew Ren’s attention to him and he looked down between them just to see where his hand was currently resting.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Tokiya blurted out and Ren moved out of the booth to let Tokiya pass by. He wasn’t sure what Ren said afterwards because his sole attention was finding the restroom and locking himself into the closest stall. He let out a heavy sigh as he rested his back against the door and buried his face in his hands.

This...  _ this  _ was the emotion he was seeking, that he was missing in his stories. The feeling someone would get when they wanted their lover, when they missed them, when they were spending time together. It all started to make sense, everything from their previous dates had finally clicked for him after he’d stopped thinking in a linear fashion. 

Love wasn’t about logic or rationality or following a check list of tropes, it was... just about following what you wanted... what your heart wanted. He ran through all of Ren’s actions, the big ones and the small ones alike, recalling the warm, comfy feelings he’d experience whenever Ren smiled at him or touched him or flirted with him. Hyuga was right, Tokiya  _ needed  _ to experience romance to understand it.

Tokiya released his face from his hands and peered down to see the obvious bulge in his jeans, or you know, he was just  _ really fucking horny _ . Tokiya slapped his hands on his flushed cheeks and told himself to get it together, all of this was for  _ research  _ and none of this was real, not for Ren anyway. However if Ren was as promiscuous as rumored, then maybe Tokiya could-

“No,” Tokiya uttered under his breath, he was  _ not  _ going that far with Ren. He was going to think about every unsexy thought he could pull from the depths of his brain. It took a few minutes, but eventually he did manage to get his boner down and left the restroom to see that neither Masato nor Ranmaru had returned in his absence. 

Reiji told him they’d be leaving since Ranmaru’s motorcycle was nowhere to be seen and honestly, Tokiya was ready to crash in bed like five minutes ago. The hangover would  _ suck  _ especially as he rarely drank this heavily, but at least he unlocked the ultimate secret to writing a successful romance. He went to reach for Ren’s hand as they were heading out, but Ren rebuffed his advance as he slipped past Tokiya and just left him hanging.

Odd, yet he didn’t think too hard about it as Otoya saved him from walking into a table. Reiji was the sober one of them all and took to the wheel as Ren sat in the passenger seat and the other two were in the back. Tokiya was  _ tired  _ by the time he buckled in and rested his head on Otoya’s shoulder as he closed his eyes, but he wished it was Ren instead...

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ren did u know it is illegal not to hold your boyfriends hand? off to the timeout corner with you.
> 
> i loved writing this chapter bc the dates are so flippin' cute and soft and ugh they're,,, adorable babies. but hmmmm what could be going thru rens head~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy anniversary to Lycoris no Mori 💜🧡❤️💚 y'all get an early update!

Tokiya raised the warm mug filled with black coffee to his lips as he sat on the couch, parsing through his hungover thoughts of the events that occurred last night. It was either a blessing or a curse that there were no obvious gaps in his memory, although he’s not quite sure what happened after they left the restaurant. Given that he woke up fully dressed in his bed, nothing else remarkable must’ve taken place on the drive back home. 

Otoya was still passed out in his room and Tokiya wanted to take this opportune moment to sort through these newfound feelings for Ren. First off, was he even into men in that way? Tokiya wasn’t one to indulge in his own sexual pleasure that often and when he did feel the urge to, he just went for whatever video had a hot couple in it to get the job done.

He’d never been too picky or certain about the type of person he wanted to date either, but Ren was hitting all the checkmarks on his growing list. His parents would likely disapprove if he brought a man home, but they tended to dislike everything Tokiya did so what was one more disappointment to stack on? Second, did he  _ want  _ to seriously date Ren, were these feelings actually real for the supermodel or was it just a moment of weakness?

If Tokiya had to compare this current fake relationship to the only real one he had... well one huge difference is that he felt so much stronger towards Ren than his ex. He looked forward to all of Ren’s silly texts, enjoyed every minute of their ‘dates’ together, and caught himself scrolling through his photo album just to reminisce about their time more than once. Tokiya had to be honest with himself, at what point did this cross the line from research to  _ wanting  _ Ren’s genuine affection, his presence, his... touch.

The calendar told him that summer would be over in two weeks and thus the end of their rendezvous, but the slight ache in his chest told him he didn’t want this to be done. He took another sip of his coffee while what Masato told him came to mind, Ren was all too good at seducing anyone he laid his eyes on and Tokiya was no different. In this case Ren was only doing it to help him as a friend with work and the results had surpassed all of Tokiya’s expectations. 

He fell for Ren’s game hook, line, and sinker... and really, with how relatively inexperienced Tokiya was of course this would happen. It wouldn’t be fair to Ren if he then had to deal with Tokiya unfortunately catching feelings for him, especially since he didn’t feel the same way. He took a gulp of his drink as he settled on just riding this out, content with the wonderful experience that came with researching just what his novella was missing. 

Tokiya mulled over the possibility of finding someone similar to Ren, but the chances were slim. His own standards had risen from Ren’s superb treatment of him and Tokiya wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to settle for anything less. Would this spell doom for Tokiya’s future prospects as he mercilessly compared them to Ren? 

That sounds like an issue for future Tokia to worry about.

Tokiya finished off his mug of coffee when Otoya strolled into the living room still looking half asleep as he straight over to the coffee pot. His roommate plopped down next to him and they both watched the drama that was playing on the television. Tokiya went to reach for where his phone would normally be on the arm of the couch, but remembered he left it in his room.

He contemplated getting up to retrieve it, if only to see Hyuga sent him anything work related when they both heard a series of knocks on the door. Tokiya looked down at his current state of only wearing an oversized sweater and boxers while Otoya wasn’t any better. Before Tokiya could even open his mouth, Otoya scooted away from him and happily announced that Tokiya was closer to the door.

Tokiya just rolled his eyes as he rose from the couch and waltzed over to the front door, he wasn’t quite sure just who could be dropping by at this time. Reiji usually just let himself in since he had a key and the only neighbor that came by was the elderly woman who would ask them for small favors from time to time. He kind of hoped it was her because she’d pay them in her baking and he wouldn’t mind a slice of one of her pies right about now.

“Ren,” Tokiya blurted out as he partially opened the door to see the other man standing there, looking as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all with the bags under his eyes and his hair tied up in a sloppy bun.

“Hey Toki... I don’t know if you saw my text, but that doesn’t really matter since I’m not going to stay for long,” Ren said, “I wanted to apologize for what I did yesterday.”

“... what did you do?” Tokiya asked as he began to wrack through his still slightly muddled brain once again, did he miss something? Otoya would’ve mentioned it if it were serious... probably.

“At dinner I...” Ren raised a hand as if to rub at the back of his neck, but stiffly brought it back down to his side, “I touched you very inappropriately and I didn’t notice how uncomfortable you were because I was drunk, but that’s no excuse. I’m not sure if you forgot it since you were downing those glasses of wine, but now I can see why you were. I’m so sorry Tokiya, I never intended for any of this.”

“Oh... that,” Tokiya murmured as his cheeks warmed from remembering just how that hand felt inching up his thigh and thus leading to his revelation in a restroom stall.

Definitely not the highest point in Tokiya’s life.

“I should go, but I couldn’t just let this slide because you relied on me for help and I just... took advantage of that,” Ren said, “I don’t expect you to forgive me right now, but-”

“Ren,” Tokiya spoke up, “it’s not that serious, I’m fine.”

“It’s  _ not  _ fine, Tokiya,” Ren replied, “and I don’t want to you to pretend like it is either, if you’re mad you can yell at me or-”

Tokiya pulled back the door before clapping his hands onto Ren’s cheeks and staring back at his surprised eyes, “it’s  _ fine _ , Ren. I... I liked it.”

“You liked it?”

“Yes... I left for the restroom because I... got... aroused,” Tokiya murmured, “and waited for it to pass because I didn’t want to appear... indecent. I should be the one apologizing for uh...  _ reacting  _ when you meant nothing by it.”

“You... liked it,” Ren repeated, “and you went to the restroom... to wait for it to go down?”

“...yes,” Tokiya’s face was on  _ fire _ as he removed his hands from Ren’s face and stepped back, unsure of what to say or do now, “and I haven’t seen your text because I didn’t check my phone after showering.”

“I see,” Ren said, “... could you give me a moment?”

“Sure?” Tokiya replied as Ren reached out for the door knob and closed it, leaving the author somewhat confused. Thinking on it, it did seem that his abrupt action would make it seem like he didn’t want Ren touching him. Now he felt bad for sending those mixed signals, Ren must’ve felt so guilty about it... 

The door reopened moments later and Tokiya didn’t miss how Ren’s gaze went  _ straight  _ to his pale legs, ah right he still needed to put pants on, “you can come in if you want? There is something else I wanted to discuss with you... preferably when I have pants on.”

“Right,” Ren’s eyes darted back up to Tokiya’s face, “right, I... shit, I’m sorry I was just torn up thinking about this all night and I’m just so relieved that I didn’t ruin our friendship.”

“I’d like to think we have a stronger bond than to let a simple misunderstanding get in between us,” Tokiya said as he turned towards the hallway, “and I would’ve stopped you sooner if I wasn’t into it.”

“Icchi...” 

“Hm?” Tokiya glanced back over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back, there might still be coffee, but I’m sure it’s cold by now...”

“Hey Ren!” Otoya waved from the couch as Tokiya went off into his bedroom, grabbing a pair of running sweats that were hanging off of the hamper. Since Ren was here, they may as well end this arrangement now before his feelings grew too wild to properly suppress. Maybe he’ll give him a gift later as a thanks for putting up with his odd inquiry because at this age Tokiya should've known all about this subject by now. 

Tokiya soon rejoined them in the living room and Ren was alone on the couch, saying that Otoya had gotten a text from Cecil to hang out. 

“I wanted to thank you for your help with my story,” Tokiya said, “I do believe I’ve gotten sufficient research and honestly feel like I should pay you for being willing to do this much for me.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s what friends do for each other,” Ren replied, “and I’ve had fun with it myself, you’re not as boring as you assume to be.”

“I... know, I just think it’ll be difficult finding someone who suits my tastes,” Tokiya said, “but I’ll be too busy with work to start looking anytime soon, I want to get to work on this story while I’m still inspired.”

“Don’t let me keep you, then.”

“I didn’t mean at this very moment,” Tokiya quickly said as Ren was moving to leave the couch, “I mean... I don’t want to be too selfish and take up more of your time and I know we were supposed to end this in a couple weeks, but... if I could rely on you a little longer? Perhaps as a beta reader because I think your perspective and experience will be very useful.”

“Mmm...” Ren curled a finger on his chin, “become a beta reader for one of my favorite authors? How could I ever turn down the opportunity.” 

“Hyuga does give me plenty of advice, but... I’d be a fool not to depend on you as well,” Tokiya said, “you’ve made all of this so... nice, I really love our time together.”

“So do I, Icchi,” Ren smiled back at Tokiya as he rested his arm on the back of the couch, “you want to tell me what exactly this book is going to be about?”

“Let me go get my laptop and I’ll show you my outline...”

~ 

Piyo Reads was bustling this late, autumn afternoon as Natsuki was reading to a group of children, Nagi had been showing the ropes to their newest hires, and various customers had been in and out of the store. Tokiya tuned out the external noise as he focused on finishing up this chapter, it’d leave him with maybe four or five to go depending on how the following scenes went. He’d been on a roll with writing this short story along with keeping up on his main project that would be complete after the last book in the trilogy. 

Writing always came easy to Tokiya, but he’d felt so much more productive and motivated with Ren offering his assistance. There were a number of viewpoints, situations, and ideas that hadn’t crossed Tokiya’s mind until Ren suggested something, thus encouraging him to further improve what was supposed to be just an experimental side project. Hyuga hadn’t seen the draft he was working on just yet and Tokiya planned on sending it in by the end of the month, hoping that the editor would be satisfied with his progress. 

He’d briefly considered releasing it under a different pen name, but now that he didn’t feel so embarrassed about how this was going, Tokiya hoped his fans would love it too. They would get to see a different side of the author that he didn’t think was possible for him to reach or understand, at least not without the help of Ren. Sometimes he felt like he shouldn’t rely on him too much, especially since Ren had his own life and work to deal with. Yet Ren would often be all too excited to read the next passages that Tokiya sent him and send them back with his own string of notes and cute comments attached. 

Ren really was such a good friend.

Tokiya brought his hands behind his neck as he stretched his back out, he’d been sitting here since... noon, it was near five pm now so he should probably get going soon. 

“Are you done now, Hayato?”

Tokiya’s head swiftly turned to the left of him and he saw Ichika sitting there with her elbows on the table, her chin sitting in the palms of her hands, “I didn’t want to disturb you while you were in the zone, but wow you were really into it today.”

“Yeah...” Tokiya said, “I’m sorry, how long have you been here?”

“Just an hour or so,” Ichika’s lips formed into a small pout, “I loved getting to watch you without that annoying slut in the way.”

“Excuse me?” Tokiya narrowed his eyes at her, “you aren’t going to talk that way about my boyfriend.”

“Ah... I didn’t mean it like that,” Ichika replied as she placed a hand on her chest, “I just... he’s always  _ all  _ over you, you know? Like that’s so possessive and controlling and I’m scared for you because that’s like... toxic.”

“I’d ask you to refrain from speaking about  _ my  _ relationship as if you know anything about it,” Tokiya said, “Ren has been nothing short of a gentleman to me and knows how to respect my boundaries.”

“That’s what he wants you to think, Yato-chan,” Ichika frowned as she reached forward for one of Tokiya’s hands, “you don’t see it because you’re blinded by love, but guys like him are all the same. He’s already started isolating you away from your friends, like it’s been so long since we talked because he won’t let you see me.”

“You are so delusional,” Tokiya bit out as he could feel the anger rising within him, he’d never felt so incensed in his life than hearing the ludicrous lies streaming out of her mouth. 

“Oi, if you’re going to talk shit at least do it to his face.”

That high pitched voice caused the two to see that Syo, Cecil, and Ren were now standing at their table. Syo and Cecil’s shared glare were enough to kill a man, but Ren’s passive, calm expression made Tokiya’s stomach flip. Just how much of that had he heard...?

“Or you can keep all those silly negative thoughts to yourself when I’m certain no one asked for them,” Cecil said, “where do you get off on talking about Ren like that?”

“Seriously, you don’t even-” Syo spoke up as Ren interrupted him.

“Guys, leave the lady alone,” Ren said as his own gaze landed on Tokiya, “are you done with work?”

“Yeah, I was just planning to pack my things and get something to eat,” Tokiya replied, “did you want to come with me?”

“Precisely why I’m here, had to make sure you remembered to actually eat today,” Ren sent him a playful wink, “ _ and  _ to make sure you take a break, you’ve been working nonstop, babe.”

“I’ve had a wonderful muse to inspire me, it’s not my fault,” Tokiya closed the lid of his laptop and reached for the bag sitting by the legs of his chair. Ichika hurriedly made her exit in the meantime, awkwardly making her way past Syo and Cecil. 

“Was that one of Ren’s anti fans in the wild?” Syo asked as he briefly watched her leave.

“She’s one of my fans,” Tokiya slipped his laptop into his bag, “...and a stalker of sorts.”

“Oh...” both Syo and Cecil nodded at the same time, one was an actor while the other a solo artist, so they both knew well of those types. Ren took Tokiya’s hand once he stood from the table and Tokiya asked their friends if they’d like to join them. Syo had other plans that revolved around surprising the kids huddled around Natsuki and Cecil was here to browse for a couple books, or bother Nagi as he zoomed right over to him.

Ren suggested that they pick something up from the sandwich place just across the way and eat out at the park near Tokiya’s place. Tokiya easily agreed as he didn’t really have an idea what he was going to do for dinner and they hopped into Ren’s car after getting their food. They picked a spot underneath one of the larger trees in the park and sat back against the trunk side by side with their food.

“Is that the first time she’s come up to you?” Ren asked as he unwrapped his sandwich.

“Yeah, I guess she was waiting until she was sure you weren’t around,” Tokiya said, a bit surprised she hadn’t pulled something earlier as he’d been frequenting Piyo Reads for weeks now without Ren, “I... hope you didn’t hear everything she was ranting about.”

“I heard enough, but it doesn’t matter,” Ren lightly shrugged, “it was pretty cute seeing you get so heated over me, I’m curious what you were going to say before Chibi-chan butted in.”

“Nothing nice, that’s for sure,” Tokiya murmured before taking a sip of his smoothie. Ren let out a small laugh as Tokiya thought back on that very moment, he’d never even gotten that mad when his father told him however many times that he’d be a failure in life. Ren hadn’t done anything wrong and Tokiya doubted that he could if given the choice, he was all too honest and sweet about his actions.

“Icchi, are you still set on finding someone to date after you’re done with your books?” Ren asked.

“Mmm... maybe, I know my agent will want me to go on a book tour in the country, possibly China and Korea too if there’s enough demand,” Tokiya answered, “I’ll have a lot of free time afterwards because Hyuga will ban me from touching any word processors for at least a month or so.”

“I fully agree with that,” Ren said, “you need to take a real break, have you ever been on vacation?”

“Not really... I’ve always been fine just staying at home,” Tokiya replied, “all that planning and the costs of staying somewhere, god forbid if I want to go to America or Europe.”

“Or you can let me handle all of that and you can just relax,” Ren said, “pick out anywhere in the world you want to go and I’ll arrange everything just for us.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you like that...”

“Toki, how many times have I said you’re  _ never  _ a burden on me?” Ren said, “you’re not the only one in need of a vacation either, I’ll need some time to recoup after I’m done with filming.”

“Fair point,” Tokiya replied as he looked out the park before them, it’d been the same ‘ol sights for him since even before graduating university, “you’ve done your fair share of traveling, would you have a list of the favorite places you’ve been?”

“I actually do,” Ren picked up from phone and tapped the dark screen, the lock screen revealed a photo of the two from their time at the arcade, cute, “there’s quite a few places we’ve shot on location, but I didn’t have the time to explore so I’d like to go back someday.”

Tokiya scooted closer to Ren as he went through his photos and explained where they were taken. It was a little overwhelming to Tokiya once he’d realized just how much of a globetrotter Ren was while Tokiya had only been out of Japan a few times, not to mention that he rarely needed to leave Tokyo unless work required it. No wonder he was so experienced and cultured, anyone would be lucky to have him as a partner.

“Are you sure you don’t have anyone else you’d rather take?” Tokiya asked as there was a brief lull in their conversation, “someone that you... like?”

“I like you plenty, Icchi,” Ren responded with a small smile.

“You know what I mean, someone you’d want to be intimate with,” Tokiya said, “you would make better memories with them as opposed to me.”

“There  _ is  _ someone I’m into, but they’re very obsessed with work,” Ren lightly sighed, “I don’t think they’d have time for a relationship anyway, assuming they’d want to be with me.”

“They’d be crazy to reject you,” Tokiya replied, “and... I guess I can understand being consumed with work, but if I can find time for you, they will too... especially if they like you.”

“Ya’ think?” Ren hummed, “how ‘bout you, is there anyone special you’d want to take with you on the vacation of your dreams?”

“I...” Tokiya paused as he considered his feelings for the man right next to him, they’d never quite settled down as he hoped they would, “... sort of, but I don’t think they’d ever look at me in that way. They’re way out of my league if I’m to be honest.”

“Ugh, don’t say that ever again,” Ren rolled his eyes, “they’re only out of touch if you never try your luck with them. The worst that can happen is rejection, but too many people allow that fear to stop them in their pursuit.”

“I suppose,” Tokiya quietly said as he glanced away from Ren, “dwelling on the what ifs will lead to nothing... and I’m sure even if they said no, we’d still be friends.”

“Exactly,” Ren said, “it might be a little awkward... and in some cases they might drift away from you, but people come and go no matter the circumstances. The ones who stay with you through thick and thin earned a place in your heart.”

Tokiya glanced back at Ren who was just faintly smiling back at him...  _ fuck _ .

~

_ Tokiya >>> 2 Pepsis 1 Coke _

Tokiya: I need some advice.

Otoya: 😱

Masato: ?

Tokiya: It’s concerning Ren.

Masato: what did he do.

Otoya: omg do I need to get out the 🗞️🗞️🗞️

Tokiya: ...

No.

It’s what I did.

Sort of... it’s really complicated. I want to explain it in person.

Masato: I’ll be over in 15

Tokiya: It’s still late, you don’t need to come over now.

Masato: I’m already out of bed.

See ya in a few.

Otoya: !!!

I will be over too 💨

Tokiya: Otoya, did you get tangled up in your bed again?

Otoya: NO.

Maybe.

You didn’t hear anything!!

It wasn’t long before Tokiya was sitting atop his bed with Masato to his left and Otoya on the right. He’d been lying awake in bed replaying the conversation he had with Ren just hours earlier and felt like maybe now was the time to ask his closest friends for help. He wasn’t prepared for the both of them to spring to his call when it was just past midnight, but then again he’d do the same for them if they ever needed him.

Tokiya then explained the entire situation from the beginning through what they talked about after they left Piyo Reads. Otoya was surprisingly quiet while Tokiya could feel the judgement radiating off of Masato as he reached the end of this whole predicament. Getting all of this out there in the air felt like a huge chip was off of his shoulder, but at the same time so... surreal, this wasn’t the type of thing that happened to someone as boring as he considered himself to be.

“Wow, I really thought you guys were together!” Otoya spoke the silence first, “like... you’re way happier now and you don’t look so gloomy all the time! And you’re really cute when you do talk about Ren, you’re so in love with him.”

“And that’s the problem, he doesn’t like me back,” Tokiya frowned.

“... I beg to differ,” Masato said as he pinched at his nose, “I’m not shocked yet at the same time, of  _ course  _ this is something Ren would get himself into. And you too, you’re both ridiculous.”

“Wait, are you saying he  _ does  _ like me?” 

Masato opened his mouth, but closed it with a small sigh, “that’s something you’ll have to discuss with Ren, but I’m confident this isn’t just another fling for him.”

“Definitely, I mean... given everything you’ve told us, there’s no way he’s just doing all of this for the heck of it,” Otoya said, “and like, he  _ has  _ to be super serious about you because you guys haven’t done anything, right?”

“No... nothing past holding hands.”

“What?” Masato blurted out, “That’s all you’ve done,  _ hold hands?” _

“Not even one kiss?!” Otoya said, “dude he is willing to give you an all expenses paid vacation and you haven’t even kissed?! Are we sure this is Ren we’re talking about?”

“I’m almost convinced he was replaced by an alien,” Masato said, “this is the same person who went through women like someone changes clothes.”

“Maybe he’s matured?” Tokiya said, “I... I don’t know if I can really believe all the rumors about his supposedly promiscuous behavior...”

“Well... he did party a  _ lot  _ when we were roommates, but perhaps he’s changed,” Masato said, “I just assumed he was up to the same tricks since then.”

“I can’t really say anything concerning all that... but does his past really matter if he’s being so loyal to Tokiya now?” Otoya said, “there’s lots of gossip and stuff, but like... how much of it is even true?”

“Don’t make me feel like a shit friend,” Masato grumbled.

“That’s not my intention!” Otoya replied, “just... ah, we’ve all assumed things about Ren, you know... it probably doesn’t feel great for him.”

Tokiya sighed as his head softly hit the wall behind them, “I’ll talk to him about it... next week.”

“Why not now? He’s probably up right now,” Otoya said as he picked up his phone.

“No, I need to properly prepare,” Tokiya yoinked Otoya’s phone out of his hand, “if I’m going to seriously ask him out it has to be special, not just a midnight phone call out of nowhere.”

“Oh you’re right!” Otoya grinned.

“Well if this is solved now,” Masato said with a small yawn, “I’ll be going back home.”

“Not yet,” Otoya quickly spoke up, “you have relationship problems too!”

Masato clicked his tongue, “I can’t have any if I’m not in one.”

“So you’re not still messing around with Kurosaki?” Tokiya asked.

“No, I stopped answering his texts and calls a month ago,” Masato replied, “I’m done being played around with.”

“Ah... well...” Otoya perked up, “we’re proud of you for solving that on your own!”

“Indeed,” Tokiya said, “you can also crash on our couch for the night, I’d prefer if you did that actually.”

“I have a flight out in...” Masato checked the time on his own phone, “three hours, else I’d take you up on that. And before you say anything, you know I’d drop everything for you... and maybe you too, Otoya.”

“Thanks, I feel  _ so  _ loved,” Otoya huffed as Masato snickered.

“And since you’re so eager to talk about relationships, when are  _ you  _ ever going to move in with Kotobuki?” 

“Uh... I don’t know... that’s still a big step and Toki needs me here,” Otoya quickly replied, “right, Toki?”

“Not really, I’ve been waiting on you to spring the news on me for a while now,” Tokiya said, “I can take care of myself, although I do deep appreciate your company and will miss you.”

“You say that like I’m packing up my things tomorrow!”

Tokiya, remembering that he still had Otoya’s phone in hand, tapped in the unlock code and went off to find Reiji’s contact. Otoya immediately went to swipe his phone back, but Masato’s hand on his wrist got in the way. 

_ Otoya >>> 💚 Mah Boifriend 💚 _

Otoya: Let’s move in together 💞💞💞

“TOKIYA!” 

~

_ Tokiya >>> Ren _

Tokiya: Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?

Tokiya should’ve known something was up when Ren hadn’t answered his text within an hour, but he put it off to the other man being busy. The day had passed without any sort of communication from Ren, which was extremely abnormal because even on his busiest days he’d send Tokiya something. There were a lack of posts on his social media accounts too, not that Tokiya kept  _ that  _ much track of them, but Ren was definitely the type to post a few things a day.

Tokiya glanced at the time again before deciding to just call him. He  _ hated  _ talking on the phone, but he needed to know if Ren was okay... or maybe Tokiya did something to make him mad? No... all they’d talked about was his books and their vacation together, still not picking a location yet. 

Tokiya assumed this would go to voicemail as the phone kept ringing, but it finally picked up on the last one, “Hello? I’m sorry to bother you if you’re busy, but I wanted to check in on you.”

_ “Hello Ichinose.” _

Okay, Tokiya didn’t expect a woman to pick up the phone.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ichika rly be talkin shit w/ her whole mind, body, and soul. 
> 
> out of all the pairings ive written, rentoki has turned out to be crazy relaxing to write. they're so easy to jump into and i dont have to think too hard about their dialogue or interactions. i also had no idea ppl thirsted so hard for them lmao and i see why now 🤣


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ai-Ai solo release day 🎉💜 Also his debut in this fic, dohoho. 
> 
> i was originally gonna split this chapter but then the lengths got too fucky so u get a chonky one.

“May I ask who this is?” Tokiya calmly responded as questions already began to sprout in his mind.

“You don’t recognize my voice?” she did sound _somewhat_ familiar, but Tokiya couldn’t quite place her voice. Ren had far more female acquaintances than Tokiya did and only few intersected into both of their social circles. A couple names instantly came to mind, but he didn’t know if Ren still spoke to them... or maybe he did and Tokiya wasn’t paying attention, again.

“I do, but I’m not quite sure who you are, my apologies,” Tokiya said, earning a sigh from the other side of the line. He’d feel more guilty if his concern about Ren weren’t steadily rising.

“Ichinose- _san_ , will you help me out with these lyrics I’ve been stuck on for the past week?”

“Nanami-san?” Tokiya blurted out, it’d been a little over a year since they last saw each other at Otoya’s birthday party. She couldn’t come this year due to being swamped with work, but her song compositions had been in high demand since she’d written several top hits in recent years. Tokiya admired her for being so headstrong about her dream, breaking away from the shy, timid girl he met back in their first year of high school.

“I know it’s been a while since we’ve spoken, but really?” Tokiya could hear the pout on her voice and perhaps it was a good thing she couldn’t see the small smile on his lips now, “anyway you’re probably wondering why I have Jinguji-san’s phone right now...”

“That I am, was he visiting you?” 

“Not exactly... I dropped by their set to give Tomo-chan her lunch and next thing I know Kurusu-san was yelling about Jinguji-san having collapsed in his trailer,” Haruka said, “I would have called you sooner, but he was very insistent about not bothering you while you were working.”

“What... is Ren okay?” Tokiya ignored the hint of irritation that bubbled up from within, how could Ren think that Tokiya cared about work more than Ren’s well being? 

“He was just discharged from the hospital and we’re back at their place,” Haruka replied, “he was already dealing with some flu symptoms, but something he ate _really_ didn’t agree with him and just aggravated everything. The doctor said he’ll be okay if he rests, but he’s taking the brunt of it right now...”

“Thank you, Nanami-san, I’ll be over as soon as I can,” Tokiya said as he stood from his desk and went over to his closet to retrieve a pair of jeans, “is there anything I should pick up?”

“Mmm no, Mizake-senpai went on a store run earlier and Jinguji-san was prescribed medicine for his cough,” Haruka replied, “I was just on my way out to head back to work, but it might be too late for that...”

“Alright,” Tokiya said, soon ending the call and realizing just as he zipped up his jeans... he didn’t even have Ren’s address. Ren would always come over to his apartment or they’d met up somewhere, but never did they go to his place. He picked up his phone from his desk and pulled up his text thread with Masato.

_Tokiya >>> Masato _

Tokiya: Do you have Ren’s address?

Masato: yeah, although I’m curious as to why you aren’t asking him for it. 

Tokiya: I just got off the phone w/ Nanami, he was in the hospital after passing out from something he ate.

Masato: WHAT.

_Incoming call from Masato..._

_~_

Tokiya couldn’t say he was all that shocked about Ren living in a penthouse with Camus and Ai, the supermodel’s family had an ungodly amount of wealth when he was a child. However Ren did seem to cut himself off from it after high school, then his father passed shortly afterwards and Tokiya wasn’t really sure about Ren’s current relationship with his brothers. Given the high school Tokiya attended, he was surrounded by the offspring of obscenely wealthy parents and he simply grew used to the common sight of luxury. 

Masato stood by his side as they rode the elevator up to the top floor and Otoya probably would’ve come along too if he wasn’t with Reiji. Camus politely informed everyone about Ren’s condition in their group chat thanks to Otoya and said if anyone else wanted to see Ren, they should do it tomorrow. Tokiya had to wonder if Ren really thought he could keep this under wraps with how fast news tended to spread in their friend group. 

Alas, questions about that could wait as they were greeted by Alexander when the elevator doors opened to reveal the foyer of the penthouse. Tokiya spared the dog a few pats as he followed Masato towards Ren’s bedroom where the sick man was buried underneath his blankets. Masato seemed to be split between yelling at Ren or asking how he was, but neither could be done as Ren was sound asleep.

“I see he’s finally managed to get some sleep,” Camus said as he joined them in the bedroom with Ai trailing after him, “it’s good you two weren’t there to see him in the hospital.”

“Why not, was it that bad?” Masato spoke up.

“I’m not sure what he supposedly ‘ate’ or whatever was in it, but he was in so much pain,” Camus replied as a frown formed on the corners of his lips, “they had to pump his stomach and I would’ve preferred he stayed overnight, but he wanted out.”

“Oh Ren...” Tokiya murmured as he neared the bed and reached out to push those messy ginger locks away from his sweaty forehead. Ren’s skin was hot to the touch yet he felt so clammy and his bronze complexion appeared pale. Tokiya’s thumb caressed at Ren’s cheek as the thought of him hunched over and howling in pain flashed through his head, there was no way in _hell_ Tokiya was going to abandon Ren’s side as he suffered like this.

“You don’t believe it was just a bad combination of food poisoning and the flu?” Masato asked as Tokiya was keeping a steady gaze on the slumbering man in bed.

“We’re going on Ren’s word since the doctor wouldn’t tell us anything,” Ai said, “but Ren’s been sick with the flu before and it’s never escalated quite like that.”

“I’d rather not speculate on any wild theories either, it’s been a long day,” Camus replied as Tokiya glanced over their way to see that the blonde definitely did look tired, “but he’s not allowed to leave his room under any circumstances, I trust you’ll see to that Ichinose.”

“Of course,” Tokiya easily responded, “I wish I would’ve seen you both under more favorable conditions, but you know how work can be.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ren talks about you enough,” Camus said with a small nod, “if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Well...” Tokiya paused for a moment, “I do need my laptop for work and probably an extra change of clothes... but otherwise, I’ll be fine.”

“Just use Ren’s,” Ai said as he gestured towards the desk across Ren’s bed that was filled with multiple monitors and a collage of art on the wall behind them, “the password is his mother’s birthday.”

“Oh...” Tokiya nodded, “I’ll still need clothes, however.”

“One of the primary functions of a boyfriend is his clothing to borrow,” Ai said, “you’re both the same size, although Ren is a few inches taller. They'll just be a little loose on you.”

“I... can’t fault you there,” Tokiya replied as he considered Ren’s wardrobe and couldn’t see himself managing to pull off half the fashionable outfits Ren tended to wear on a daily basis. 

Camus and Ai left soon after as Masato made his way to Tokiya’s side, crossing his arms over his chest. His mouth was pulled into a flat line as he seemed to be in deep thought while looking over his best friend. 

“Do you think Ren is lying?” Tokiya asked as he pulled his hand away from REn’s face.

“There’s a reason why I just so didn’t happen to be told until you texted me,” Masato clicked his tongue, “he’s hiding something and he’s an awful liar, but... I don’t want to stress him more than he already is.”

“True,” Tokiya replied, “we can ask him after he recovers... but what do you think really happened?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if his crazy ex pulled some shit,” Masato said, “she’s just the type to, but I don’t know if she’s in Tokyo.”

“Mmm...” Tokiya hummed, “I just hope there’s no permanent damage.”

“Ren’s a stubborn, tough idiot, he’ll be fine,” Masato said, “or else I’ll drag him to the grave myself.”

Tokiya let out a small laugh, for as long as he’d known the two, Ren and Masato were always bickering over _something_ or just going out of their way to pester each other. It’d be hard to believe they were so close with how often they hurled insults at the other, yet that seemed to be how they bonded. Long forgotten feelings of envy were roused as Tokiya followed Masato’s gaze to Ren, there was a time when he actively ignored the whispers of their classmates who shipped the two popular boys together.

_Huh..._

As Masato left to head into one of the guest rooms, Tokiya took the chance to properly take in Ren’s bedroom. Looking closer at the art up on the wall, it seemed to be various fanarts of himself or his characters, possibly given to him by his fans. The bookshelves next to his desk were filled with manga, light novels, video game boxes, figurines, and... he’s pretty sure one of them was stuffed with doujins. 

The rest of his bedroom felt very much like Ren with the colours leaning towards warm oranges, reds, and blacks. There was another collage of photos on the wall across from his bed filled with pictures he’d likely taken, as well of his friends. One photo that caught Tokiya’s eye in particular was from high school, they’d done a maid cafe for the festival and Tokiya drew one of the short sticks when it came to being a maid. 

The memory of Ren surprising him with a hug from behind as Otoya was quick to snap a photo sprang to his mind. Tokiya shook his head as of course Ren would keep an embarrassing photo like this, but then his eyes caught on a trail of other photos that featured him from high school. It led to the center where a recent picture was on display, just of Tokiya sitting at his spot in Piyo Reads typing on his laptop.

... okay, he seriously needed to discuss this with Ren.

~

Ren spent the next two days confined to his bed, only leaving to use the bathroom as Tokiya took care of everything else for him. Unlike when Tokiya had to deal with a sick, perpetually whiny Otoya, Ren was all too quiet in between his coughing fits. It was unsettling in that Tokiya had never witnessed Ren being this sick, he wanted him to recover faster if only to hear a tease or sly flirt out of the other man. 

When Tokiya wasn’t tending to Ren, he was finishing off the work on his romance story and reached a point where he felt confident enough to send it to Hyuga that morning before cooking breakfast. Tokiya may have fallen in love with their kitchen that was terribly neglected, his apartment alone could fit inside of it. It was understandable since Camus was often traveling for his work and Ai seemed to eat less than Tokiya, so he wanted to make sure they had solid cooking while they hosted him here.

Tokiya could see why Ren liked staying with them, they were so quiet that Tokiya could forget they were here in the first place. Camus in particular had snuck up on him a few times when he was busy in the kitchen, but now he wasn’t so startled to see the blonde just appear on the other side of the counter. Like his friendship with Ranmaru he wasn’t too close to either of the two, yet he didn’t feel as awkward around them, perhaps due to food being an easy way to converse.

What Tokiya didn’t expect was Ai to be so inquisitive about their relationship, wanting to know all the details of how they started dating and making sure he was treating Ren well. Camus chimed in with his own comments and would speak up if Ai pushed a little too far, but Tokiya found it endearing that Ai was so protective over Ren, quite the difference when compared to Masato. It was tempting to ask the couple about Ren’s past affairs, but he wouldn’t go behind Ren’s back like that and figured he’d wait for Ren to bring it up, if he ever chose to.

Camus and Ai came into the kitchen as Tokiya was plating their food and seeing Ai in one of Camus’s shirts reminded him of his own borrowed attire. He didn’t need to leave the penthouse as Camus got his assistant to buy the ingredients Tokiya needed, so he just lounged in a pair of Ren’s pajamas. It wasn’t uncommon for Otoya’s (or even Reiji’s) clothing to pop up in his closet from them getting mixed in their laundry, but there was definitely something distinctly... comforting about wearing something of Ren’s.

Tokiya left them to head into Ren’s bedroom with a tray of food and saw that Ren was sitting up in bed with his phone in hand. Tokiya shifted the job of maintaining his games to Ai as he had no clue what he was doing and didn’t want to accidentally break anything. Ren only glanced up when Tokiya was at the side of his bed and gave him a soft smile in return before letting out a small cough.

“You look better today,” Tokiya said as he set the tray on Ren’s lap, “how do you feel?”

“A little less awful,” Ren’s voice was quiet and husky, “I’m startin’ to go stir crazy, but at the same time I love having nurse Ichinose take care of lil ‘ol me.”

“I expect to be paid by the end of the week,” Tokiya said as he rolled the chair from the desk over to the side of the bed, “with overtime as well.”

“And just how would my Icchi like to be paid?” Ren dropped his phone to the side and picked up one of the chopsticks, “there are so many potential options~”

“Whatever I can pay my rent with,” Tokiya smoothly replied with a smile that caused Ren to laugh, then cough a few more times, “I’d prefer _before_ you succumb to your condition.”

“Ah, you’re so cruel,” Ren pouted as he went to pick up the rice in the bowl, but glanced back at Tokiya, “I’ll pay ya’ double if you feed me.”

“From two hundred yen to four hundred yen, I can’t possibly turn down that deal,” Tokiya plucked the chopsticks from Ren’s hand and went to gather up the rice, “I’ll be able to get half a loaf of bread for my three children.”

“Oi, what did you do with that bonus I gave you? That was supposed to last for the month,” Tokiya brought the rice to Ren’s lips and tried to ignore the slight flush that rose to his cheeks as they parted for him.

“You rich nobles have no idea what anything costs,” Tokiya drew the utensil away as Ren ate up the rice, “my husband also took half of it to pay off his debts, but instead he just gambled it all away...”

“This is exactly why you should stay with me, I can take care of you, I can _be_ the father your children need,” Ren placed a hand over Tokiya’s and the other man just glanced away from Ren’s gaze, “I own casinos, baby, people owe _me_ debts.”

“I... okay,” Tokiya shyly turned his head back towards Ren, “I should tell you, I’m pregnant... with triplets... and they’re yours.”

“More little Jinguji’s are going to bless this planet,” Ren squeezed Tokiya’s hand as he attempted to dramatically sigh, which turned into yet another harsh coughing fit. Tokiya couldn’t help giggling as he patted Ren’s back, then reached for the glass of water sitting on the nightstand. He brought the glass up to Ren’s mouth and tipped it so Ren could take a drink, ah Tokiya really did miss Ren so much.

~

_You have (1) new notification from Hyuga Ryuya!_

_Hyuga Ryuya >> Tokiya _

Hyuga Ryuya: Come in tomorrow at noon.

Tokiya: Okay.

Is this good or bad...

Hyuga Ryuya: Good.

Tokiya: Oh, wonderful.

“That is the most lackluster reaction ever, Icchi, you need to act more excited!” Ren said from besides Tokiya. He’d managed to convince Tokiya to cuddle with him in bed this evening as opposed to Tokiya sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Tokiya didn’t care about catching the flu from Ren, he’d factored in that possibility already, but he hadn’t slept in the same bed with someone in so long... and Ren was well, _Ren._

“I am excited, I’m filled to the brim with excitement,” the smile on Tokiya’s lips certainly wasn’t a lie, heck it’s the first time in working together that Hyuga had no blatant criticisms for him. This moment was made even better with Ren being here to see the good news, the man who had helped him so much in getting this novella off the ground and steered into the right direction. What would Tokiya have done without Ren, he imagined he’d still be struggling with capturing that missing element or Hyuya would shelf this project so Tokiya didn’t waste his time anymore.

“This _is_ the cutest smile I’ve seen you wear,” Ren squeezed at Tokiya’s waist and nuzzled at his cheek, “and while wearing my clothes? You’re tempting me to devour you whole.”

“If only you weren’t cursed with the plague, we could live a long life making only the sweetest of love underneath the stars,” Tokiya said, “instead I’ll be stuck bathing in the riches that you leave behind for me, oh the horror.”

“Are you secretly a gold digger, is that what you’re telling me?” 

“You’re the one offering to take me on a dream vacation without a single touch to my lips,” Tokiya glanced over at Ren, “I’d be a fool not to take advantage.”

“Fuck me, I love this side of you, Tokiya,” Ren murmured as he brought his face closer to Tokiya’s, their lips only mere inches apart. Tokiya’s eyes darted downwards, catching Ren’s tongue flickering out to lick at his lips. This burst of confidence kept his negative thoughts at bay, not that he had much grounds for doubt when it came to Ren’s feelings for him anymore.

Tokiya closed his eyes as he waited for Ren to make the final push, but a series of coughs broke through the sexual tension in the air. Ren swiftly turned away to cough into his elbow and Tokiya wondered for a moment if Ren was going to be actually okay. 

“I think... I’m good now,” Ren sighed as Tokiya rubbed at his shoulder.

“We should wait until you’re healthy...” Tokiya said, “...and we have to talk about this, all of this when we both have a clear head.”

“I don’t see what’s there to talk about,” Ren grumbled as another cough erupted from his throat. Tokiya broke out of Ren’s hold to retrieve the bottle of cough syrup in the bathroom. He could fully understand Ren’s frustration, but Tokiya didn’t want to rush into this under the wrong pretenses, he wanted everything between them to be aired out. 

Each photo on Ren’s wall evoked a different memory that awakened long repressed feelings that Tokiya didn’t acknowledge at the time. It was now that he was allowed to explore those feelings, not to shy away from them due to shame or plain nativity. Had Ren been aware of how he felt about Tokiya for all these years...?

~

 _Going to see my editor today, hopefully I can finally tell you guys about the side project I’ve working on later today ✌️ -_ **_@Hatayo_offical_ **

**_Posted to Twitter 1 hour ago_ **

**_200 replies - 2.5k retweets - 10k likes_ **

_Fingers crossed for Netflix adaptation of the Frontier series !! 😤😤_ **_-@jadeite_ **

_Why would you wish that on us? Like have you seen their other shows..._ **_-@zephyrshark_ **

_PLEASE NOT NETFLIX. He deserves the HBO treatment._ **_-@leoieggtea_ **

_What if it’s a game? Burning Point would be a PERFECT setting for a space RPG_ **_-@sagittariusrye_ **

_Sign me up if it means I can kill Queen Shoko 🔪_ **_-@ratbeefnet_ **

_Sign me up if it means SHE CAN STEP ON MY THROAT 😩💦_ **_-@SHOKOSBITCHBOI_ **

_Have none of u been paying attention? This is clearly about his new book._ **_-@blazaroyster_ **

_Right??? I’m worried it’ll be trash bc he’s been spending so much time with Ren... he should rly stay away from shitty influencers 🙄_ **_-@tomatoesneo_ **

_Idk Haya can date whoever he wants as long as it doesn’t affect his work, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t worried too. Inb4 it’s your typical cash grab for all these dumbass Ren stans 🤣_ **_-@blazaroyster_ **

_I feel like I’m the only one actually looking forward to this?? 🤔 Haya has been clearly putting SO much work into this and we shouldn’t be judging it before we see it..._ **_-@mellowx2chuchu_ **

_His hardcore fans are so insufferable, they hate anything that doesn’t instantly pander to them. If yall don’t like it, yall can ignore it._ **_-@SaxMeRen_ **

_Srsly the gatekeeping is INSANE, they should be happy that Haya has gotten so many new fans, but nooo they wanna bitch that it’s not a boy’s club anymore smh._ **_-@mellowx2chuchu_ **

_I’m just here for the release date on Golden Night 😭😭😭 pleeeeease Hayato give us sOMETHING._ **_-@volcanosquidcow_ **

_Omg same!! All this discourse and i’m on my 5th reread of Fantasistia and Naked Tango 🤣 I don’t mind waiting a little longer because I trust Haya to deliver us The Good Shit 🔥_ **_-@casinocherry_ **

_If this isn’t my entire mood LOL I’m DYING to find out what happened to Jasper and Dante, but good for Haya if he wants to branch out his repertoire and get that dick at the same time ya know?_ **_-@volcanosquidcow_ **

Tokiya left Hyuga’s office in much higher spirits than when he was previously here, his editor was pleased with Tokiya’s progress and had little criticism for the novella. Tokiya would still need to write out a final draft to iron out some details, but Hyuga told him they could get it on the shelves at the beginning of next year. That would also line up with the release date of the third and final novel in the trilogy he’d been writing alongside the novella. 

All that Tokiya needed was a title, something so important that completely slipped his mind until Hyuga asked him about it. There were a few he periodically jotted down on his phone so he wouldn’t forget and it didn’t take long to hone in on one that would perfectly encompass what type of story he wanted to tell. The plot itself revolved around a thief who took up a high risk job that involved stealing a precious artifact from the royal family and naturally this meant getting close to the lone prince.

Hyuga asked him if he was sure about choosing this title and Tokiya confidently answered that _Target Is You_ was the one. Tokiya was tempted to text Ren as soon as Hyuga confirmed that they’d be going forward with this, but decided on the way back down to the lobby he wanted to tell him in person. He also wanted to buy something on the way back to the penthouse in celebration, he’d been craving cupcakes since Camus was raving about some he’d baked a couple months back. 

Tokiya would probably have to buy a separate set for Camus.

The author pulled his phone one of his pocket as he strolled through the lobby and went to look up a nearby bakery when he heard his name being called. He looked towards the right in the direction of a seating area where he saw Ichika hurriedly making her way to him. She must’ve seen the irritation on his expression as she quickly bowed in some attempt to what, apologize for randomly showing up at his place of work? 

“Yato-chan, I have something to show you, I promise I won’t take up your time,” Ichika said, “I wanted to show you sooner, but you haven’t been at the bookstore and I didn’t want this to end up in the wrong hands.”

“What is it, Ichika?” Tokiya attempted to keep his voice level as his anger simmered.

“It’s about Ren, I saw him doing something terrible...” Ichika stepped closer to the taller man and lowered her voice to a whisper, “I don’t think we should talk about it here.”

Tokiya bit back the first words that came to mind as Ren’s name fell from her mouth, instead stepping past her and heading towards the front doors, “are you coming or not?”

Ichika was quick to follow behind Tokiya as he led them into a diner at the end of the block and sat down in one of the booths further inside. He propped his bag up beside him so she wouldn’t attempt to sit on the same side. 

“You have ten minutes,” Tokiya said after one of the servers took their drink order.

“That is plenty of time Yato-chan,” Ichika took out her phone and tapped through it, “so a few days ago a friend called me saying that she saw Ren and Bella eating lunch together, which is like so weird, who would want to do that with their ex?”

“And I went to go check it out because I thought he was up to something and of course, I was right,” Ichika turned her phone over to display a picture of the duo standing outside of the restaurant, “they were talking about getting back together and I won’t repeat all the awful things Ren said about you, but he definitely only using you.”

Tokiya remained quiet as she tapped through the photos, Ichika had followed them going into the parking lot where they were going to Ren’s car, “and I _really_ didn’t want to believe that Ren would do this to you and honestly, it broke my heart to see, but I had to get solid proof for Yato-chan.”

The final photo in the gallery displayed Bella taking Ren’s face in her hands as kissing him while they were standing just outside of his car, “I’m so sorry Yato-chan, I wanted to trust him as much as you do, but maybe I was right about him all along...”

Tokiya picked the phone up from Ichika’s hand and looked through the photos again, his narrowed gaze lingering at the last one, “... thank you for bringing this to me, Ichika. I deeply appreciate it.”

“Oh it’s no problem, you know I’d do anything for you,” Ichika was practically beaming, “and if you need someone to lean on or talk to, I’m here for you too! I know how a broken heart feels, but I’ll help you through this.”

“As expected of my... darling fan,” Tokiya smoothly replied, “are these the only copies you have of these photos? I... I don’t want to risk them getting out.”

“I have some on my laptop, but I have to say you shouldn’t worry about him now,” Ichika said, “he’s a dirty liar and cheater, he deserves all the bad karma!”

“I’m not interested in any type of revenge,” Tokiya said, “and... it’s already going to be hard enough dealing with this. I don’t want to be the center of drama, so I would prefer if you didn’t send these to anyone else.”

“Mmm...” Ichika quickly nodded, “I understand you completely, Yato-chan, you hate drama and I do too, we can just leave Ren behind. I wouldn’t want to see you go through more pain.”

“Thank you, Ichika,” Tokiya sent her a small smile, “I’m going to email these to myself and talk to Ren about it, if only to see what excuse he has for this.”

“It’s so obvious he only wanted you for your body,” Ichika huffed, “and I can see why you were taken by his gross seduction, but then he trapped you by taking you away from me. He knew I was the only one that would keep it straight with you and he felt threatened.”

“Indeed, you were right,” Tokiya nodded as he marked the photos to send to his work email, “I never would have found out about this otherwise.”

The server came by to drop off their drinks and asked if they were ready to order, but Tokiya just asked for the check. 

“Please remember that I’m here for you,” Ichika said as she took Tokiya’s hand and smiled up at him. Tokiya softly squeezed back at her hand as they were standing just outside of the diner.

“I could never forget you,” Tokiya replied, “although... I do have something to ask, it may sound random.”

“You can ask me anything!” Ichika grinned, “I will answer to the best of my ability for you.”

“How many languages are you fluent in?” Tokiya asked, “I was thinking of picking up something new to learn since I only know Japanese and English...”

“English was my _worst_ subject in school,” Ichika sighed, “and learning anything else is sooo much effort, but I’m willing to put it in for you! In fact we can take classes together.”

“That sounds delightful,” Tokiya gave her hand one last squeeze before letting it go, “I have to tend to work now, so I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll be waiting for you, Hayato~”

Tokiya waited until he was far enough away from Ichika to retrieve his phone from his pocket to text Ren, but he had an unexpected notification awaiting him. 

_You have (2) notifications from Kurosaki!_

_Kurosaki >>> Tokiya _

Kurosaki: Hey... I know this seems out of the blue, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor?

It’s about Masa...

Oh, what now? 

~

Tokiya stepped out of the sweet smelling bakery with two boxes each filled with a dozen cupcakes in hand. One of the boxes had Camus’s favorites in them after he consulted Ranmaru on them. He didn’t actually expect the man to have such thorough knowledge on the desserts Camus favored, but they had known each other since they were children. 

Tokiya went over to the maroon car parked just a couple spaces away from the bakery and stacked the boxes in the backseat before hopping into the passenger's seat. Ranmaru was in the area when he texted Tokiya and they settled on meeting up here, although he didn’t elaborate on the favor he wanted to ask of him. Masato hadn’t spoken about the bassist since that evening and Tokiya thought it better to leave the subject alone.

“Alright so...” Ranmaru broke the silence first as he was backing out of the parking spot, “I have a show this weekend at Rainbow Star and I wanted you to tell Masa. He doesn’t have to come... I just want him to know.”

“This sounds like something you could’ve just texted me,” Tokiya replied, “is there more you’re not telling me?”

The corners of Ranmaru’s mouth turned into a frown as he curled his fingers together around the top of the steering wheel, “I... fucked up pretty badly, I don’t know if Masa told you what happened...?”

“I refrained from asking as it seemed too touchy a subject to talk about.”

“Ah...” Ranmaru nodded, a few quiet seconds passed between them before he spoke once more, “it wasn’t supposed to go this far and I thought we were on the same page, but guess I was fuckin’ wrong... or in denial. Really I shouldn’t have messed with him right after breaking it off with Eiichi.”

“Am I to assume that you had to clue that Masato was in love with you?” 

“I asked him if he still liked me and he said he only wanted to fuck,” Ranmaru said, “...but that was also last year and I was too much of a chicken shit to ask again even though the signs were right in front of my face.”

“And you continued to see him despite knowing well how he felt about you?” Tokiya asked.

“Yes, but well...” Ranmaru let out a frustrated sigh, “I caught feelings too... and I was still in love with Eiichi. I was clinging to the hope that things could go back to how they were, but our relationship was always shit to be honest.”

“So... now that Masato has blocked you out of his life, you realize how strong your feelings are for him?” Tokiya said, he’d definitely seen something similar to this happen in a few books he’d read, all that research hadn’t gone to waste!

“Bingo,” Ranmaru murmured, “I accidentally stood him up because I was dealing with Eiichi’s bullshit and... well, Masa clearly had enough of that. I don’t blame him if he never talks to me again, but I really didn’t notice just how co-dependent Eii and I were ‘til then.”

“I’m not going to dig into your personal business with Ootori, but I think it would be in Masato’s best interest if you stayed away from him until you sorted yourself out,” Tokiya said, “no one deserves to be treated like a second choice.”

“I know,” Ranmaru clicked his tongue, “and I have, I cut him off entirely and I _want_ to make this shit work with Masa. I have so much to make up for and it’s gonna be a fuckin’ rough climb to gain his trust again, but I love him...”

“As they say, actions speak louder than words,” Tokiya said, “I’ll be willing to deliver your message, but I’m curious as to why you came to me instead of someone you actually talk to.”

“I already got a fucking earful from Ren, honestly I’m shocked I’m not on your shit list too,” Ranmaru briefly glanced over at Tokiya as they stopped at a light, “but you are one of the most level headed people I know.”

“I think it’s different for me because we weren’t ever very close and if I’m to be blunt, I forgot about you until Masa started seeing you,” Tokiya said, “he was always happy to talk about you and that was enough for me. Masa saw something special in you despite how terribly you treated him and that says a lot for someone like him.”

“It also means once he’s done, there’s no fuckin’ chance he’ll want me back.”

“Perhaps, I do think he just got fed up with your back and forth concerning Ootori,” Tokiya replied as the streets around them became more familiar, “but you also don’t seem like the type to do something like this very often, so you must be serious about how you feel.”

“I am,” Ranmaru said, “I’d do anything just to talk to him again, we don’t even have to fuck. I miss him so much.”

Tokiya reached out to give Ranmaru’s shoulder a pat, “I’ll do what I can.”

Tokiya retrieved the boxes of cupcakes as Ranmaru stopped in front of the apartment complex. He briefly wondered what he would do if he were in the same situation with Ren and his ex, then remembered everything that happened with Ichika just beforehand. 

“Kurosaki,” Tokiya said as he stood near the drivers side of the car, “this... might seem like a random question, but were you friends with Bella?”

“Eh...” Ranmaru shrugged, “I tolerated her right up ‘til Ren got rid of her, sure. You shouldn’t be worried that he’ll leave ya’ for her though, he’s a fuckin’ puppy for you.”

“Oh, I know,” Tokiya replied with a soft smile, “I was wondering if she was fluent in Japanese.”

Ranmaru snorted as he laughed at the question, “absolutely fucking not, or else I’d be in even _more_ deep shit. Why ya’ ask?”

“Just curious,” Tokiya said, “thank you for the ride back.”

“Mhm...” Ranmaru nodded as Tokiya turned to head into the lobby. Tokiya detoured away from the elevators as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and went to his text thread with Masato.

_Tokiya >>> Masato _

Tokiya: Kurosaki says he has a show this weekend at the Rainbow Star.

Masato: Seriously? 

Tokiya: He told me about what happened between you two and I do think he’s serious about his feelings for you.

Masato: He could’ve gotten serious last month or three months ago or after the dozenth time Ootori fucked him over, but that’s not my business.

Tokiya: I’m not going to tell you what to do, but he did mention that he stopped talking to his ex. That was the major source of your problems, right?

Masato: I guess...

I’m with a student right now so I’ll have to think it over after work.

Tokiya: I’d be willing to lend an ear, but I have to talk to Ren.

Masato: Finally going to date for real?

Tokiya: If this goes as planned...

Masato: I’ll slap both of you if you aren’t together by midnight.

Tokiya: 😭

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favorite chapter to write, I fell in LOVE with rentoki's rping 💕 I could've had that go for days honestly lmao. also totally snuck in my ~~neglected~~ OCs there. 
> 
> there's porn in the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> @jingucchiwrites


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